THERE were shrieks of joy, beaming smiles ? and the odd few tears at Tavistock College last Thursday as hundreds of excited teenagers received the results of this summer?s GCSE examinations. The anxious wait was all too much for some, as they scuttled off to secluded corners to open their white envelopes ? then rejoined friends for a good old fashioned hug. Jordan Williams was unassuming about the unbroken line of 8 A*s and 4 A grades on his result sheet, which will set him up well for A-levels in physics, chemistry, maths, further maths and French at the college next year. He said: ?I didn?t think I was going to do that well in a few of them, but they?ve turned out really well ? especially geography, I thought that one was rubbish and I got full marks!? Jordan said he was feeling ?very relieved?. ?It?s party time now!? he said. Kara Northam was feeling good too, with her A grade, four Bs and three Cs. ?I did better than I thought,? said Kara, who intends to study law, psychology, business studies and possibly RE at A-level. Joe Whaley?s grin went from ear to ear as he made a succession of calls on his mobile. ?Some of the results were much better than I expected and I sort of expected some of the others ? but I certainly didn?t think I?d get an A* in Japanese,? said Joe, who intends to continue studying the language at A-level, along with DT food, business studies and art. GCSE results at the college maintained the improvement achieved last year, which produced the best results in the school?s history. The overall pass rate at A* to C was 61% and at A* to G, 98%. Once again there were a large number of outstanding individual performances with eleven students gaining at least eight top grades. Particular mention should be made of Joe Andrew, Chloe Jones, Tom White, Jordan Williams and Kathryn Williams; all of whom gained at least 10 A or A* grades. Congratulations also went to David Corrales from Year 10. He took his Spanish GCSE a year early and was one of the top five candidates nationally in the AQA board examination. Head of year David Turner said: ?These results genuinely reflect five years of hard work. I am very pleased to see the high standards achieved at the college being maintained across the full range of ability. ?When results are published, attention often focuses on those with top grades, however, there are many students with more modest results whose achievements are tremendous, given some of the challenges they have faced. ?These include a number with significant special needs as well as those who encountered personal or family difficulties and those who simply found some of the courses hard. To maintain their efforts and the focus on their work over the last five years is very much to their credit.? College principal Colin Eves said: ?All these results are GCSE qualifications, a small number of students have, in addition, gained vocational qualifications that we are yet to receive. ?I can assure everyone that these results represent high quality achievements that are valued by employers and further and higher education institutions. ?I should like to thank present and former staff and not least the parents. It is clear that the very strong partnership between students, staff, parents and the local community is at the heart of the current and future success of the college.? At Kelly College, a string of students were delighted with some outstanding results. Rhys Byrne achieved 9 A* and an A grade at GCSE; music scholar Sophie Wilson gained 8A* and 2 As; Freddie Dawes obtained seven A*s and 3 As and Megan Mackenzie achieved 6A* and 3.5 As. The overall pass rate at A* to C was 94.5%, with 42% of students gaining A* and A grades. Headmaster Mark Steed said: ?I am absolutely delighted for each and every one of our students ? they have worked tremendously hard and earned these results. ?Our outstanding team of teachers will be so pleased their hard work and commitment to the students has been rewarded with these fantastic grades.?
