Wearing a particularly big smile on results day was 18-year-old Kasun Munasinghe from Colchester Royal Grammar School.

The youngster swept the board with five A*s in maths, chemistry, biology and his EPQ project, plus an A in geography.

He said: “I’m hoping to do medicine at university so I had to do maths, chemistry and biology. Geography is just something I loved. It’s been a great two years.

“I’m very happy and I opened my results with my dad and he has been one of the best inspirations to me, as well as my mum.

“They are the reason I have done this and deserve all the credit that I do. I’m just elated.”

Kasun was joined by friends James Hirst and Henry Broomfield as he celebrated his result – schoolmates who also scored high in their results.

James and Henry also achieved four A*s in chemistry, physics, maths and further maths.