Ref. 71826-26 lucy BrettA-LEVEL RESULTS: LUCY Brett cried tears of joy when she realised she could fulfil her childhood dream of becoming a vet.

She was one of the first students in the town to receive her A level results at Swindon College which opened its doors just before 9am.

The 18-year-old had narrowly missed getting the grades she needed to secure her place at the Royal Veterinary College in London one of the top places in the country for her subject.

But the college agreed to accept her on the five-year course with an A in biology, and two Bs in physics and chemistry because she had given an outstanding interview.

She said: "It's amazing. I was so nervous ringing up the college. They could have said yes or no on the phone and that would have been it. Luckily they said yes.

"I have always wanted to be a vet, I just need to work with animals."

The college pass rate was 95 per cent a drop from last year's 97 per cent with 54 per cent of passes being A to C grades.

Boys had a 97 per cent pass rate compared to 94 for girls which goes against the national trend.

The college had 105 full time A level students and a further 382 entries for individual A levels.

Pete Henly, head of A level studies, said: "We are an inclusive college with students from a wide range of backgrounds.

"We analyse how well students do compared to their GCSE results which shows they progress well at this college.

"If someone goes to Eton and gets great GCSEs then the leap to great A level results is not as big as it is for our students."

Rachael Sara got two Bs in art and graphic design, which means she can stay on at Swindon College to study the year-long art foundation course.

The 18-year-old who lives in Wootton Bassett said: "I am chuffed to bits.

"After that I want to go to university." Peter Worthington earned three Bs in maths, biology and geography- higher than he expected.

The 18-year-old from Greenmeadow said: "I am gob smacked. I wasn't expecting my results to be this good.

He wants to be a quantity surveyor.

"I needed A levels to get into the profession. I got good grades but I decided university wasn't for me. I am fed up of studying."

Simon Ward, 18, is heading for London Metropolitan University to study for a degree in creative writing.

The 18-year-old was featured in the Evening Advertiser waiting for his results. He earned an A in drama, a B in English and a C philosophy.

He said: "I am really pleased. After university, I hope to go into some sort of acting or writing."

His girlfriend Siobhan Broome, 18, will also be heading to London to do drama and theatrical arts at Goldsmiths College after gaining an A in drama and two Bs in media and English Literature.