STUDENTS in East Cambridgeshire received their A Level results today. Results at the City of Ely Community College reflected a national trend, with an increase of overall pass marks. At The King s School 99 per cent of entries received a pass mark, which

STUDENTS in East Cambridgeshire received their A Level results today.

Results at the City of Ely Community College reflected a national trend, with an increase of overall pass marks.

At The King's School 99 per cent of entries received a pass mark, which one per cent down from last year, but overall marks were high with 38 per cent of passes graded A and 80% were graded A-C in a total of 29 subjects.

Of the 147 entries City of Ely Community College, 99.3 per cent passed, which is up by 1.3 per cent from last year. Seven per cent of entries received an A grade and 51.7 per cent were in the A to C range. College director mark Sirot-Smith said: "The students have worked really hard and it's such a shame that people keep knocking students and commenting on how the exams must be getting easier. The students themselves can only sit the exams that are put before them and they deserve all the praise that they get.

"I just think the fact that grades are improving reflects the fact that students work a lot harder than they did when I was at student."

Top performers at the college were Gopiga Thanabalasundaran, who received As in Maths, Biology, Chemistry and German and Imogen Jackaman who received As in English Literature, Business Studies and Accounting and a B in History.

Miss Thanabalasundaran, who is going on to study Medicine at University College London, said: "I'm completely shocked. I worked really hard, but I have been incredibly nervous waiting for my results and I never expected to get the grades that I did."

Miss Jackaman said: "We've been waiting since the end of June for these results and I've been so nervous I've even felt quite ill at times, so it's such a relief to get good grades. I had no idea how I had done so it's a total shock."

She will study Human Resource Management at Anglia Ruskin University.

At the King's School, one in five students achieved straight As in their three principal A-level subjects.

Among them are a trio whose results have secured their Oxbridge places. Former Ely Cathedral head chorister William Gardner will read music at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he has been awarded a choral scholarship. He received A grades in French, Music and Religious Studies.

Also off to Cambridge, where he will study natural sciences at St John's College, is Toby Al-Mugheiry who got straight As in Biology, Chemistry and Maths.

Nouri Verghese will take up his place to read modern languages at Pembroke College, Oxford. He got As in History, Religious Studies and Spanish.

Victoria Smethers, had a special reason to celebrate her A-level results. Exceptional work in textiles placed her among the group of candidates who scored one of the top five marks in Art and Design.

There were 1,360 candidates for the examination and Michael Cresswell, director general of exam board AQA congratulated Victoria and the staff at The King's School Ely on "such an outstanding achievement.".

Director of Art, Alison Rhodes, said: "Vicky presented skilled and imaginative textiles work and thoroughly deserves her success."

Two years ago Photography was added to the A-levels subjects available at King's and in the subject's first set of results, all students achieved As and Bs. Top achiever was James Veale who was awarded 100% in each of the three components of the course.

Victoria, who also received an A in Psychology and a B in Geography, and James who also got an A grade in Fine Art and a B grade in Design and Technology, both have places on an art foundation course at Loughborough University.

Head of Photography, Natalie McIntyre, said: "All students have worked extremely hard to achieve an excellent set of results and James' grade reflects his outstanding ability."

The Head, Sue Freestone, said: "We are very pleased with these results. They reflect years of hard work from a group of committed young people. They are a credit to themselves and to the school and we are very proud of them."

Councillor Jill Tuck, Cambridgeshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People's Services said: "A-level students in Cambridgeshire's schools have every reason to be proud of their achievements.

"They have produced another set of highly impressive results - a tribute to their hard work and dedication, the professionalism of their teachers and the support of their parents. My congratulations go out to them all - they are a credit to their schools and communities.

"I wish them every success in whatever they choose to do with the rest of their lives."

The national pass rate rose for the 25th year in a row, with 96.9 per cent of exams being marked A to E, up from 96.6 per cent last year and more than one in four entries received an A grade.

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