GCSE music students at Tavistock College are celebrating success after recently gaining the highest results in a prestigious music exam.

Sixteen year 10 GCSE music students took the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), Grade one theory exam last month. The students have been preparing for the exam every Friday for an hour after school since September with head of music, Sarah Pappin.

The ABRSM is the world's leading and most prestigious private music exam board and their qualifications demand the highest respect among musicians.

Higher ABRSM grades even gain their own UCAS points.

Miss Pappin said: 'It is a real credit to the students' commitment to the after school theory sessions that I was in a position to enter them for this grade.

'Entries for this type of exam are normally only made by students receiving private, one-to-one tuition, so to be making such a large entry from a school was a real honour and a reflection of what talented musicians we have in our year 10 GCSE music cohort.'

The students sat the exam in March and had to wait six weeks for their results to be released.

'The six weeks have taken ages to pass and there has been much nervous anticipation over the results, but they were worth waiting for,' said Miss Pappin.

'Every one of the 16 students passed, with five of the students achieving merits and nine gaining distinctions, the highest mark possible.

'Naturally I am extremely proud of what each of the students have achieved and even more so given the unconventional way in which we've done it.

'We start preparations next week for grade two.'

The results were: Luke Samson-Hill, Nick Bennett, Pass; Lydia Stephens, Ellie Trembath, Becca Cox, William Parfitt, Ronnie Walker, Merit; Tim Davidson, Hannah Meckiff, Drew Dowse, Ben Jenkins, Chris Batten, Beth Abel, Natalie Tossell, Rosie Fillan, Distinction and year 11 Jade Phipps Grade two Distinction.