They're pass masters!

STUDENTS at The Meridian School in Royston have achieved record-breaking GCSE results.

This year, 68 per cent of students gained five or more grades A* to C, compared to 60 per cent in 2007.

And 70 per cent of ALL entries were awarded grade C or higher, compared to 63 per cent last year.

Assistant head teacher David Atkins said of his students: "I am very pleased, they have come out with an outstanding set of results.

"These students have achieved so well, whilst maintaining extremely busy extra-curricular lives.

"We are delighted that so many will now further their education in the Meridian Sixth Form College, where they can expect to prepare themselves for their chosen careers and exciting University courses.

Among those who collected their results on Thursday were triplets Tom, Edward, and William Cousans, who gained 31 GCSEs between them.

A number of students achieved exceptional grades, including Sophie Rogers (11 A*, two A, Hannah Tobiss (11A*, one B) and Jenny Watson (10A*, two A).

The top performing boy was Peter Davies, who achieved eight As*, two As, plus a double grade A in A-Level further maths.

Sophie Timms, 16, gained five A*s and four As and will be moving on to Hills Road College in September to study computing, history, music, and maths.

She said: "I was very nervous and I was the first one here.

"I am pleased with my results, I got ill at the end of the exams so I did a lot better than I expected."

This year 65.7 per cent of exams taken nationally were awarded grades A* to C, an increase of 2.4 per cent on last year.

And although these figures are likely to provoke debate about the standard of GCSEs, Mr Atkins said that he would prefer to congratulate his students for their efforts.

"Well done to all the students, their parents and the teachers who have guided them in all the Royston schools over the past 12 years," he added.

BASSINGBOURN Village College achieved an excellent set of GCSE results on Thursday.

Some 70 per cent of pupils gained five or more grades A* to C, compared with 67 per cent last year.

And 25 per cent of the school's 123 students achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A or A*.

Gemma Burdge gained four A*s and nine As, and will now study maths, chemistry, biology and modern history at Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge.

She said: "I feel fantastic.

"I am so pleased that all the studying has paid off."

And Hope Guerrier, who achieved an A, three Bs and 5 Cs, said: "I am over the moon, I didn't think I would get such good results."

James Bloor came top of the class, with 14 GCSEs at grade A or A*,

Other notable performers included Laura List Shipsey, Hazel Aslin, Alice Goldman and Gemma Luckman, who each gained 12 GCSEs at grade A or A*.

And one Year 10 student, James Dilley, even achieved a grade A at A- level archaeology.

Principal Scott Hudson said: "We are delighted for the many pupils who achieved excellent exam-ination results this year and pleased with individual performances across the whole ability range.

"The results are a true reflection of the abilities and hard work of all involved."

TWO members of the Mepham household were nervously awaiting last week's GCSE results.

While Melbourn Village College pupil Elliot Mepham, 15, was waiting on the result of his Year 10 science exam, mum Heather was waiting to hear how she did in GCSE French.

Heather, who received an 'A' grade, said: "I've been taking evening classes because we often go on holiday to France so I wanted to learn some of the language.

"It's been a horrible experience waiting for my result, very nerve-wracking, but I'm pleased with what I got."

Results at the college overall were good, with 70 per cent of students achieving A-C pass grades.

Elaine Stephenson, warden at the college, said: "It's great to see so many students rewarded for their hard work, there are loads of happy faces this morning.

"I'm particularly pleased to see that the pass rate has gone up again, we've even got some students who have achieved 11 A* grades," she said.