SIGHS of relief were being heaved by teenagers throughout the Tavistock area last week, following the anxiously awaited publication of this year?s A and AS level examinations. At Tavistock College, 133 Year 13 students received the results of more than 370 examination entries in 29 different subjects on Thursday. The overall pass rate was maintained, with 96% of entries achieving an A-level grade. The proportion of top A grade passes increased significantly to 19%, 5% up on last year. The quality of the passes was high, with 17 of the A-level subjects recording a 100% pass rate for their candidates. Particularly strong results were recorded in photography, biology, chemistry, art, geography, history, mathematics and religious studies, where more than a quarter of exam entries resulted in the top A grades. Staff said there were excellent achievements across the ability range with more than three quarters of the students achieving 2 or more A-level passes at grades A to C with almost half of the students gaining 2 or more A or B grades amongst their results. Special mention must be made of the huge increase in students who gained straight A grades in all their subjects. Thirteen students achieved this benchmark, 10% of all candidates, in subjects from across the curriculum; Claire Burrow, Kate Faithorn, Michael Gane-O?Loughlin, Luke Harrison, Jackie Jeffries, Romin Pajouheshnia, Katherine Rogers, Becky Rowe, Emma Sim, Joe Thomas, Rebecca Walsh, Becky Ward and Hannah Woodside. Kate Champion, 18, was ?really pleased? when she found out she got two Cs, a D and a E for her A-level results. Although Kate needed three Cs to get onto the broadcasting course at Falmouth College, she was still happy as she knew she would still be going. A week before her results were due, Kate contacted the college and told them how much the course meant to her and they accepted her ? with or without the grades. She said: ?I?m really pleased. Not with my results but with the fact that I am getting onto the course.? Kate Faithhorn, 18, needed two As and a B to get onto her desired medicine course at Southampton University. She said: ?I got three As. I am really pleased.? Tom Honey was ?chuffed? with his two Cs and a D grade A-level results. He plans to study sports science and coaching at MarJon College in Plymouth after he returns from eight months travelling in New Zealand and Australia. ?I?m chuffed ? I?m loving life now,? said Tom. Sarah Stenning, 18, got two As and a B ?she is off to Dartington College of Arts, Theatre and Choreography for a three year BA course in performance studies. She said: ?I?m really pleased with my results they are better than what I expected. I?m really chuffed. I?m going straight to university and I go at the end of September.? Tavistock College has dealt with more than 100 university applicants this year and many of these students had confirmation of their first choice university place on Thursday, with some others waiting anxiously for final decisions to be made. Geoff Orton, director of sixth form studies, congratulated all of this year?s A-level students for their hard work and well-deserved top quality results. He said: ?Teaching staff at Tavistock College are delighted with the standards achieved by sixth form students this year.? Colin Eves, college principal, said ?I am delighted for these students who have received the outcomes of seven years hard work. ?These outstanding results, with the significant increase in top grades, reflect the strong partnership between staff, students and parents. I should like wish all the students the very best for the future and thank them for the contribution they have made to the College.? And students and staff at Kelly College were also celebrating, as the school achieved a perfect 100% pass rate at A-level, with the highest percentage of A-grades ? 70.1% ? in the college?s history. Head of school Freddy Frost gained straight A grades to achieve his place at Nottingham University, where he will study medicine. George Webb is off to Oxford to read biological sciences with his clutch of A-grades. Straight A results were also gained by Tin Gong and Luke Sutton, who will attend Warwick and Durham University respectively. Tom Matthews, who has his own show on Plymouth Sound, gained a B grade and two As and is going to London to study politics and international relations. Mark Steed, Kelly?s headmaster, said: ?I am absolutely delighted for all our students ? they have worked tremendously hard and they have earned these record-breaking results. ?Our outstanding team of teachers will be pleased that all their hard work and commitment to the students have been rewarded ? I wish them well as they move on to the next stage of their career.?
