Hundreds of sixth-formers today discovered their long-awaited A-level grades across north-east Essex following the biggest exam shake-up in a generation.
Keep up-to-date with the latest news and school-by-school results throughout the day.
Braintree Sixth Form College
Here, more than 96% of grades were A*-E and more than 35% were the highest between A* and B.
One of the top scorers was Hannah Knock, who got an A*, A and a B.
Clacton Coastal Academy
The school has also recognised some of its top achievers for this year’s results.
They include Jack Carpentiere who arrived in Year 7 and has gone on to score an A* grade and three As, and Ben Rockell who achieved two A*s, two As and one B.
Other notable performers were Henry Bartlett with two As and a C, and Chloe Franklin with an A*, two Bs and a C.
She also scooped a distinction in performing arts.
Clacton County High School
The school also enjoyed a set of outstanding results with a pass rate of 99%.
Just less than half of those (49%) were awarded A*-B and 80% were A*-C grades.
Applied level three courses also saw great success with a 100% pass rate, and 92% of all grades awarded at either distinction or distinction*.
One of the school’s highest achievers was John Cullen-Kennedy who scored A*s in RE, English literature and an A in history.
He is now preparing to read philosophy at King’s College London, while his schoolmate Matthew Greenwood is getting ready to go to the University of St Andrew’s.
Matthew also wowed his teachers with an A* in RE as well as A grades in history and psychology.
Neil Gallagher, principal, said: “Once again the results in the sixth form have surpassed all expectations.
“We have seen exceptional achievement across the board. The proportion of students achieving the highest grades is very impressive and nearly all of them have secured their first choice university place.
“This has been down to the incredible efforts made by the students and their teachers. My congratulations go out to all of the students and their families and I wish them every success in the next stage in their chosen path.”
Colchester Royal Grammar School
The school also revealed some impressive results with more than 90% of students achieving an A*, A or B and more than 70% reaching A* or A.
More than 30 pupils achieved three or more grades at A* and have gained places at top universities in places such as Hong Kong and America.
Matthew Lennard scored five A*s in English literature, geography, French, general studies and economics.
He said he felt “ecstatic” with his results, and will go on to study at the University of Warwick.
Colchester County High School for Girls
The school was celebrating after every pupil achieved a minimum of three passes, with 50% of all grades marked as A* or A.
Among the high-flyers – with five or more A*/As - were Katherine Cook, Rachel Cox, Aisha Lawson and Isabella Santini.
Isabella, 18, achieved A grades in English literature, Latin and history with an A* in classical civilisation.
She said: “I was really happy to open my results. I had checked UCAS before so I knew I had got into my university, but I was really surprised to know I done as well as I did.
“I’ve always been more interested in the humanities and have always loved history and thought these subjects would be useful.”
Isabella is now preparing to study at Cambridge and will embark on a course about Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic studies – something she has wanted to do since she was just 11-years-old.
Others who achieved four or more A*/As were Lucy Arditi, Katherine Birch, Sally Christmas, Ella Comish, Elena Edmondson and Francesca Hadland.
Maria Makris, Simran O’Shea and Eliza Ridley-Johnson also scooped four or more of the top marks.
Gillian Marshall, headteacher, said: “We are extremely proud of the students and delighted by their outstanding set of results. We wish them well as they move to the next exciting phase of their life.”
Colchester Sixth Form College
Staff and students at The Sixth Form College, in Colchester, were also jumping with glee as around 1,300 students collected their results.
The school had a pass rate of more than 98% and an impressive A*-B rate close to 50%.
Results showed that 90% of all 18-year-old students achieved three or more A-Levels or equivalent in their sixth form studies.
Students jumping especially high as they opened their envelopes were Rose Arbuthnot, Daniel Raison, Jamie Leppard, Madeleine Chia and Liam McKenna who achieved a stunning set of grades.
Jamie, 18, achieved four A*s and another in his EPQ project.
Jamie, who studied maths, further maths, chemistry and physics, said: “I did physics at AS Level and got a real interest in it and found it was the subject for me. I couldn’t quite believe it [when I opened the results] and had to keep checking. It’s just disbelief.”
Jamie is now heading to Imperial College London to study physics.
Rose Arbuthnot also spoke to our reporter and scored four A*s in biology, chemistry, physics and maths.
She is now able to study her dream course of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge.
Moments after hearing the news, she said: “I was surprised when I opened them. It was a bit of a shock, but I’m very happy. Tonight we’re going to go for a meal then have a big night out.”
Rose, who lives in Holbrook, was previously a student at Royal Hospital School.
She will now be heading to Emmanuel College to start the next chapter of her educational career.
Joining her was workmate Madeleine Chia, from Maldon, who scored three A*s in history, geography and psychology together with an A in geology.
She said: “I was more relieved when I got my results, but I’m happy.”
Colne Community School and Sixth Form
The school celebrated a pass rate of 96% with an A*/A or equivalent figure of 41%.
Matthew Suttenwood, headteacher, said: “Our AS level results show tremendous promise with some outstanding student achievements making us excited about the next academic year.
“These results reflect the hard work of students and the skill of our teachers in successfully preparing them for A-Levels and BTEC alike. Congratulations to all involved.”
Felsted School
At Felsted, 64% achieved A* to B grades and 87% got A* to C, with a 99% pass rate.
More than 34% of all results were at A* or A grade, with many securing their university places.
Harwich and Dovercourt High School
The school’s pass rate was 100% for its A-levels, with 50% being A*/A or equivalent grades.
High-scoring subjects included psychology and art.
Hedingham School
Hedingham School also said it was delighted with this year’s results as 96% of students gained a pass, with 65% getting a pass rate at A*-C grade.
A total of 38% of pupils achieved A*-B, and 20% of the grades were A*,A or distinction, making it one of the best performances at the school.
Denys Hellary scored high with an A* and four As, while Laura Smith collected three As.
Philip Morant College
Students at Philip Morant College also had plenty to shout about on results day as it celebrated a 99% pass rate.
Top performers included Rachel Heptonstall, who achieved two A*s and a B, while Louis Bell scored three As and a B.
John Lovett, head of sixth form, said: “I am so proud of our students’ achievements and would like to congratulate them on another set of outstanding results.
“Our close-knit college community means we work very closely with our students, support them continuously throughout their studies and build excellent relationships, and this set of results clearly reflects this.”
Tendring Technology College
The college was also jumping for joy after 20% of its students received unconditional university offers.
The centre saw more than half of its pupils achieve a B grade or higher in subjects including art, drama, English literature and German.
Michael Muldoon, principal, said: “It is fantastic to see young people reaping the rewards of the hard work, effort and dedication they have demonstrated towards their studies. They have earned the results that will take them onto higher education or a wide range of employment possibilities.”
Thurstable School and Sixth Form College
The college had a 99% pass rate with 51% of grades being A*/A.
Witham Sixth Form
A total of 53% of students at Witham Sixth Form got grades of A*-C, while almost all at 90% were A*-E marks.
A total of 70% of the combined results – A-Level and equivalent – were A* to C.
Top achievers included James Collier who scored two A*s and two As, Katie Osborne who scooped two As and a B, and Leanne Sayers with an A* and two Bs.
Debbie Kershaw, director of Witham Sixth Form, said: “As the exam boards have said, the pass grades are now more difficult to achieve and, with that in mind, we are really pleased with these outcomes.”
This year’s results mark a key step in major reforms to A-levels introduced by government in recent years, including a move away from coursework and modular exams, as well as a significant decision to separate AS-levels to form standalone qualifications.
This shake-up, which applies to England only, has led to a 42% drop in AS-level entries this year, and school leaders today raised concerns that the reform has “sounded the death knell” for qualifications that were traditionally popular with many students and universities alike.
Nationally, boys are likely to outperform girls again in terms of A*s, with one expert suggesting that they could also close the gap with their female classmates at the A grade boundary.
• See our complete A-level guide here, including advice on Clearing and what to do next.
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