Joy as staff and students

At Dauntsey's School, in West Lavington, 72.1 per cent of the 359 subject entries from the school's 118-strong upper sixth were rewarded with an A or B grade and more than 90 per cent were passed at A, B or C grades.

Head boy Sam Dickinson and head girl Gwendolen Martin led the field with a clean sweep of A grades. They were not alone.

Peter Budge's three As will enable him to study engineering at Jesus College, Cambridge, while Katy Venn, who hopes to study veterinary science at Glasgow University, also got three A passes.

So did James Amor, who is going to Southampton University to study computer science and Jo Smart, who will go to Leeds University to study English literature.

Jack Williams got four As maths, further maths, physics and chemistry are more than adequate to get him into Warwick University to study maths and physics.

Alastair McIntosh clinched two As and a B to get him into Imperial College, London, to study chemistry.

Sam Awdry only required three D grades to get him into the leisure and sport course at Cardiff but he got an A and two C grades.

Last Thursday AS-level students also learned their fates and Natalie Russell from Great Cheverell was delighted to find out she had five passes at A grade. She came to Dauntsey's from nearby Lavington School, a state school which does not have a sixth form, where she had earned seven A* GCSEs last year.

Her mother Jen said: "This is as much an accolade for Lavington School as it is for Dauntsey's and we are absolutely delighted for Natalie. She has worked hard for it and deserves her success."

Headteacher Stewart Roberts said of all his pupils' successes: "These good results reflect the exceptional hard work and commitment from both the staff and pupils."

At Devizes School, headteacher Malcolm Irons said he and his staff were delighted with their A-level pass rate of 96 per cent, which exceeded the national average.

Mr Irons said: "Success in both academic and vocational subjects has contributed to this very good set of results.

"Contrary to the criticism in the national press, Devizes students have succeeded especially well in the traditional "tougher" subjects, such as science, mathematics and English.

"There are many students worthy of a special mention but Ben Firth with a set of straight A grades in maths, physics and chemistry has done especially well this year."

Mr Irons also said that the relatively new vocational courses in business studies, information and communications technology, and health and social care have produced some outstanding successes for his students.

He said: "It is an area that is targeted to grow over the next few years at Devizes School as it expands and improves its post-16 provision."

The vast majority of students arriving to collect their A-level results at St John's School in Marlborough on Thursday left with beaming faces.

Once again the Marlborough school achieved a record with a 99 per cent pass rate.

The percentage of A and B grades shot up from 40 per cent last year to 44 per cent.

Top of the class was Jamie Aitcheson, 17, from Mildenhall, who came in the top handful of students nationwide by achieving six A-levels at A grade.

It guaranteed Jamie a place to read history at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Laura Cherrington whose older sister Katie has just won a 1st class honours maths degree at Oxford and Anika Sud also achieved five A grade passes each.

Lucy Hayhoe, Tom Tapper and Tia Ward each gained four A grades and one B grade, Imogen Reseigh gained four A grades and Rachel White achieved three A and two B grades.

Headteacher Patrick Hazlewood said the school was thrilled with the results and also the fact that they set new record standards.

Year after year the St John's pupils have achieved greater success rates and Dr Hazlewood said he sometimes wondered for how much longer new records could be set.

Dr Hazlewood said St John's achievement was all the more remarkable because it had happened in a decaying set of buildings that he hoped would be replaced in time for the A- level exams in 2005.

Plans for the proposed single site school should be submitted by the end of year and building work started early in 2004.

Dr Hazelwood said: "We have had some outstanding results."

He said the school was not selective in its sixth form intake and accepted all pupils who had passed a minimum five GCSEs.

"A great deal of this success is down to the hard work by the young people themselves," said the head.

"It is a very stressful system and for them to have come out of it in one piece and with the grades they need shows they have done tremendously well."

Dr Hazlewood said the results were also a testimony to the hard work, dedication and encouragement of the teachers at St John's.

He said little notice should be paid to the detractors who annually trotted out the claim that more students were passing A-levels because the exams had become easier.

Dr Hazlewood said: "You can look for a reduction in standards but I don't think there is any evidence it is there."

He added that many of the A-level exams currently sat by sixth formers were equivalent to degree courses a few years ago.

Students at Stonar School, in Melksham, are celebrating some of their best A-level results this year.

The overall pass rate rose to 98.48 per cent and 29.55 per cent of passes were at A grade with a total of 53 per cent of all passes at A and B grades.

Hayley Ransome achieved one of the top five results in the country for Psychology. Penny Chan obtained A grades in five subjects, Emily Button, Katie Seymour, Rachel McGahey, Hayley Ransome and Amy Farthing each gained three A grades.

Hannah Sargeant gained three A grades and one B grade, Sarah Fenwick received two A grades and a B grade, Belle Yick got two A grades and two B grades and Athena Choi got two A and three B grades.

Science results were particularly strong with seven A grades in Biology and five A grades in Chemistry.

Students of Psychology achieved four A grades.

At St Augustine's School, in Trowbridge Faye Drawnel received one of the top five marks in the country for her biology exam.

Students who received three or more A grades are: Vincent Brown, Nicholas Buckland, Anna Clark, Bruce Jeffery, Maria Santaeularia Badia and Maria Wall.