OKEHAMPTON College was celebrating this week after the majority of students got into their chosen universities or college as a result of good A-level grades.

Headteacher Chris Powell said he was very pleased with the 94 per cent pass rate which was on a par with the national average.

Grades for English, maths, art, drama and media studies were particularly good and overall 40 per cent of all passes were A and B grades.

Mr Powell said looking at the figures grades seemed to be slightly higher this year but the pass rate was the same as 2001.

'We are pleased with the results and it looks as though the majority of those students who applied to universities have enough to go through,' he said.

'There are one or two still waiting to hear who have not done as well as they had hoped but we have an advisor on hand to help them should they need it.'

Two top achievers Nathan Hill and Connie Smith will go to Oxford and Cambridge respectively after gaining three A grades a piece and Connie also received a B in French.

Nathan, who plans to study a physics degree, said it was a huge relief when he opened the envelope and found top grades for physics, maths and geography.

'I did work hard for the exams but if anything I thought my grade might not be as high for physics — ironically that was the one I was worried about,' he said.

Karen Vigers also achieved three A grade in economics, maths and psychology but plans to take a year working in industry —at Kawasaki working on an efficiency project — before taking up her place at Bristol University.

AS exams, which are taken by Year 12 students and count as part of next year's A-level results, were also pleasing for staff with four straight A grades for Peter Herrod Taylor, Sarah Hillier and Anna Snellgrove.

Deputy head Wendy Eames, who has just retired from the school after 25 years said there was now a lot more pressure on A- level students because they had to take exams at the end of year one.

'There is no year to acclimatise because the AS results go towards the final grade,' she said. 'Most students have done very well but for the odd one or two who have fallen a bit short. There are still ways of achieving what they want they just might have to go a slightly different route.'

Head of English Adrian Tilley said it had been a good year and the grades reflected that.

He added media coverage that exams were getting easier because the pass rates were going up was 'nonsense.'

'They are certainly not easier just different and it is so unfair to make this assumption after all the hard work that students have put in,' said the teacher who has just left the school to take up a similar post in a Hong Kong school for two years.

'Students work harder every year and they have much more information available to them now what with the internet and feedback from the exams boards and so on.

'This kind of information enables them to be more independent as learners and more time is spent revising now — they are better prepared for the examinations.'

Mr Tilley said it was great to go out on a good year: 'There are certainly a lot more smiling faces than there are sad so that will be a lasting memory for me.'