Hundreds of anxious students across East Suffolk are finding out if all their hard work over the past two years has paid off.

GCSE results are being handed out at schools throughout the region.

With warnings nationally that many students may not get the grades they are expecting because of harder exams, youngsters in East Suffolk will be hoping to buck the trend.

At Farlingaye High School in Woodbridge students were celebrating a record year.

A total of 69.5% of youngsters achieved at least five A*-C grades, including maths and English - a 9.5% rise on last year and their best results ever by 4.5%. The overall five A*-C figure is 79%, with 22 students achieving at least five A*-C grades.

Headteacher Sue Hargadon said: “We are utterly delighted that despite all the national speculation that grades would drop we have achieved our best ever set of GCSE results.

“This rounds off an excellent summer for the school with our ‘outstanding’ Ofsted report in May and brilliant A-level results last week.”

Particular congratulations go to Jigi Moudgil-Joshi who achieved 11 A*s, Katie Macfarlane who received 10 A*s, Sophie Beales, David Nunn and Sarah Plummer who got nine A*s and Katie Hardingham, Dafydd Harston and Louis Seller who bagged eight A*s each.

At Woodbridge School, where pupils take a mixture of IGCSE and GCSE, records have also been smashed.

Over one in four papers resulted in an A*, with 12 pupils achieving 10 A*s or better.

Of the 104 students that sat exams, 99% achieved at least five A*s to C, including maths and English.

Headmaster Stephen Cole said: “GCSE rewards the right mesh of ability, effort, excellent learning attitudes and exceptional teaching. The median pupil achieved the equivalent of straight grade As, reflecting our commitment to each pupil not just the high flyers.”

At Alde Valley School in Leiston 50% of 152 pupils achieved at least five A*-C grades, including maths and English.

Several gained exceptionally good results, with special attention given to twins Megan and Katie Clark, who between them notched up 18 A* grades, and 26 results between A* and B.

Headteacher Ian Flintoff said “I am really delighted with the GCSE results of our students this year. Our overall top grade performance has risen by 10% from 2012 and this reflects some great teamwork between students and staff, together with a determination to succeed. “Following on from record A-level results this year, we can start the new school year in a very positive frame of mind expecting even better from our 2014 cohorts.”

Debenham High School has had a “recording-breaking” set of results, according to headteacher Julia Upton.

The results saw 80% of students getting at least 5A*-C including English and maths.

Miss Upton said: “We are delighted with these record-breaking results for Debenham High School from a remarkable year group. This is our best set of results since the A*-C measure including English and Maths was introduced.

“Amidst a backdrop of reports from examiners of drops in the number of A-C grades awarded these really are very pleasing results.”

Miss Upton said the school had seen a drop in students’ science grades by between three-four percent.

She added it appeared to be a trend reflected in results nationwide.

Pupils, teachers and staff at Thomas Mills in Framlingham are also celebrating the best set of GCSE results in the school’s history.

A total of 82% of students achieved at least five A*-C grades including English and mathematics, up 9% from last year’s result. The overall five A*-C figure is 87%.

Headteacher Philip Hurst said: “This is a tremendous achievement that reflects well on the hard work of students and staff as well as the active support of parents.

“Also key to GCSE success is effective assessment followed by swift and effective interventions. No student should go through school unnoticed. We celebrate achievements but we also constantly strive to improve further.”

More than 65% of year 11s also achieved a grade A*-C in a modern foreign language.

“I think it is vital as a country that we encourage all students to be able to succeed academically,” Mr Hurst added.

The vast majority of students will progress to the sixth form at Thomas Mills.

Top performers include Maddie Brooks with 13 A*s, Shuling Appleby with 10A*s and three As, Liam Gooderham with 10 A*s and four As, Michael Orrell with 12 A*s and two As, Anna Tateson with 10 A*s and four As and Jonathan Payne with seven A*s and four As

Mr Hurst added: “The school will continue to reflect and strive to improve further still. We have currently commissioned an external curriculum review and we keep teaching and learning high on the agenda.”

Thomas Mills High School has also supported the Raising the Bar inquiry, which is backed the EADT and Ipswich Star. “The report has raised lots of interesting questions,” Mr Hurst said. “It is now up to all of us to work together to find solutions. I think it is an exciting time for education in Suffolk. Suffolk is rapidly developing a university of its own and this will help stimulate thinking within the county. Suffolk has every reason to aspire to be the best. And so it should. Nothing less than the best is good enough for all our young people.”

The results for students studying at Stowmarket High School have come in.

Out of the 246 students who received their GCSE results 54% got at least five A*-C grades, including English and maths. Headteacher Keith Penn said: “We are delighted by those results and what they mean for the individual students concerned - they have achieved the second highest set of scores the school has ever had, in a year where the press has reported a significant planned increase in the difficulty of achieving high grades in a number of key subjects.”

From the students 66% got five or more A*-C grades.

Mr Penn added: “Our congratulations and very best wishes for the future go to all of our students who have given themselves the very best springboard possible from which to launch the next stage of their education or career. Our thanks and congratulations go also to all of the teachers and parents who have supported and nurtured them in their well-deserved successes.”

Thirty students at Felixstowe Academy are today waiting for their GCSE English papers to be remarked after concern over changes to grade boundaries.

The academy announced a provisional figure of 42% of students achieving five GCSEs at A*-C grades, including English and maths.

Principal Andrew Salter was confident the percentage would be higher after the remarking.

He said: “Our own results under this measure this year are disappointing and not what we had predicted or expected.

“We believe that examination board boundary changes, particularly in English and maths, have adversely affected our results in this area.

“The academy is in the process of having significant number of papers in maths and English re-marked where students are one or two marks away from the C grade boundary.”

Stradbroke High School has posted its best ever results. Headteacher Andrew Bloom praised students of which 60% got five or more A*-C grades including English and maths.

He said: “These are the best ever results for the school. I would like to congratulate the pupils, the vast majority of whom met or exceeded national expectations and thank our parents and carers for their excellent support.”

East Point Academy in Lowestoft - formerly Kirkley High School - a total of 39% of students achieved at least five A*-C grades including maths and English, slightly down from 41% last year.

Principal Liz Redpath said: “There have been some excellent individual results. Overall, our results are as we had predicted and are broadly in line with last year. Congratulations to all students whose hard work has paid off.”

Students at Hartismere School achieved 65% five A*-C grades including English and Maths and 95% five A*-C grades overall.

Headteacher, James McAtear, said: “These results are a testimony to the hard work of all out staff, governors and students and to the support given to them by their parents.”

At East Bergholt High School staff celebrated a record-breaking year with their successful students.

Head Colin Turner said he was “absolutely delighted” at 69% of students achieving five A* to C grades, including English and Maths – an increase of 20% from the class of 2012 and “the highest the school has ever achieved in this measure”.

He praised outstanding individual performances, congratulating Lauren Brixey, Maddie Caulfield, Holly Harrison-Reed, Holly Bruce, Hattie Hennell-James, Gena Leydon, Tamara Massey, Haylie Morris, Clarissa Osborne, and Hannah Yellop, who all achieved at least 10 grades at A* or A.

Mr Turner also extended his praise to twins Alice and Megan Fox achieved 21 top grades between them, as well as the 40 other students who gained at least five A* and A grades.

He said. “We are absolutely delighted with this amazing set of results.

“We have seen substantial improvements from 2012 in all our key performance indicators.

“Our A*-C rate in Mathematics and English have both improved; in the case of mathematics by over 24%, and we have almost seen a doubling in our number of A*/A grades in both of these key core subjects.

“Students and staff, supported by parents, worked extremely hard and thoroughly and deserve this success.

At the Royal Hospital School, 89% of students have achieved five or more A*- C grades, including English and Maths.

Headmaster James Lockwood said: “I am absolutely delighted with the number of pupils for whom sheer hard work and commitment has paid off.

“With the wide range of abilities accepted in to the school it reflects well how we are able to realise the individual potential of every pupil.

“This year’s A*/A pass rate is a 43% and there has been around a 10% increase on the number of top A*grades awarded to RHS pupils compared to last year which, in the current environment of grade deflation, represents a significant achievement.

“I am particularly pleased with the results gained in the separate sciences with 93% of all chemistry, biology and physics papers gaining an A* or A grade.

“The support and guidance given by our dedicated teaching staff has contributed to these successes.”

Finborough School has released its GCSE results. This year 77% of students achieved five or more A*-C grades including maths and English.

Principal, James Sinclair, said: “This is another great set of results, following the A-levels last week. Our students and staff have worked really hard and deserve to be proud of their achievements which highlight academic excellence at Finborough School and our continued commitment to ensuring success for our pupils.”

Stradbroke High School posted its best ever results. Headteacher Andrew Bloom praised students, of which 60% got five or more A*-C grades including maths and English.

He said: “I would like to congratulate the pupils, the vast majority of whom met or exceeded national expectations and thank our parents and carers for their excellent support.”

At East Point Academy in Lowestoft - formerly Kirkley High School - a total of 39% of students achieved at least five A*-C grades including maths and English, slightly down from 41% last year.

Principal Liz Redpath said: “There have been some excellent individual results. Overall, our results are as we had predicted and are broadly in line with last year.”

Lowestoft’s Benjamin Britten High School turned in a 47% share of pupils achieving five A*-Cs, including maths and English.

Headteacher, Andrew Hine said: “Against a background of the turbulent grade boundaries in core subjects, which have been reported in local and national media, our students have maintained a comparable level of achievement with that set last year.”

Results for students achieving five A* to C grades, including maths and English, were unavailable from St Felix School, Southwold, and Ormiston Denes Academy, Lowestoft - formerly Denes High School.