RECORD-BREAKING students helped schools in and around Exeter hit new heights of GCSE success.

There were scenes of delight and celebration as pupils collected their exam results yesterday.

St Luke's Science & Sports College, St Peter's School and West Exe Technology College achieved their best ever results, as did St James — which looks set to be ranked among the most improved schools in the country.

It came as the pass rate nationally rose for the 23rd year in a row, with nearly seven in 10 entrants awarded at least a C grade.

At St James, the number of students gaining five or more A*-C grades climbed to 76 per cent. The number whose haul of good passes included English and maths reached 54 per cent — up from just 10 per cent four years ago.

Head teacher Helen Salmon said: "This is way above our challenging target of 42 per cent which would have put us in the top 25 per cent of schools nationally.

"Government league tables measure this over a three-year period and over the three years we have gone up from 17 per cent to 54 per cent — a massive increase of 37 per cent. This could put St James in the top 10 per cent most improved schools nationally." Mrs Salmon paid tribute to the hard work of staff and students, adding: "Staff here share a strong belief in success for all. We believe that our students can succeed whatever their starting points are. Our intake is the most deprived in the county. However, we still achieve better results than some other schools with far less challenges."

Bryony Barney, 16, from Pinhoe, was among the school's highest achievers with seven As, six Bs and one C.

She said: "The grades I got are higher than I expected. I put a lot of work into it but got really nervous before the exams. All the hard work was definitely worth it.

"I'm going on to Exeter College to study, politics, law, psychology and English literature."

Alex Seabrooke, 16, from Pennsylvania, got three A*s, five As, three Bs and one C. He said: "I'm really pleased with my results. I'm going to Exeter College to study biology, chemistry, maths and Spanish. I'd like to go to university to study dentistry afterwards."

Hardeep Singh, 16, from Stoke Hill, achieved far higher results than she was predicted. She got two A*s, two As and five Cs, as well as a B in Punjabi, which her mother taught her.

She said: "I was really nervous before opening the results and I'm really happy with them.

"I'm looking forward to studying English literature, English language, psychology and ICT at Exeter College."

Hard work also paid off for students at West Exe, helping the college to improve on last year's record results, with 78 per cent of students achieving five or more A*-C grades compared to 70 per cent last year.

And 50 per cent of pupils scooped five or more A*-C grades including English and maths — up from 42 per cent last year.

Executive principal Steve Maddern said: "We are absolutely delighted with this year's results because we have achieved so well in the core subjects of English and mathematics, our specialist subjects and in the arts and sport.

"These results reflect significant over-achievement at the college. The external target indicator given to us at the start of Year 10 for these students was 56 per cent to gain five or more high grades and 44 per cent to achieve five or more including English and mathematics.

"These targets were set at a high level to automatically place us in the top 25 per cent of schools nationally. Last year we were in the top six per cent and this result should place us even higher."

Samuel Emerson, 16, from Exwick, got two A*s, eight As, four Bs and two Cs — and consequently secured a Royal Navy scholarship.

He achieved these grades despite balancing his studies with responsibilities as deputy head boy, being involved in the youth parliament and doing his gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

He plans to study politics, law, psychology and computing at Exeter College before going to Northumbria University to do computer science.

He said: "I have a military family and I've always fancied the Navy. It's nice to know all the hard work has paid off.

"It's nice to go on to college to do better things but it's a bit sad to be leaving here. I've got some fond memories."

Olya Shadura, 17, from Kennford, was so happy with her results — eight As, two Bs and two Cs — she was shaking.

When she moved from Belarus to England two years ago, she could understand little English.

"I'm really surprised with physics as I was getting Es and Ds but I got an A," she said with a huge smile.

The school's top achievers included not only those who got the best grades, but those who exceeded their targets.

Josh Pratt, 16, from St Thomas, had been expecting Ds but got Cs across the board plus a B and an A.

"I'm off to Bicton College to do a national diploma in agriculture. I was worried I wouldn't get in," he said.

At St Luke's, 45 per cent of students achieved five or more A*-C grades, including English and maths.

Deputy principal Martyn Esau said: "We are delighted that 60 per cent of our students achieved five or more A*-C grades, which also indicates performance above the challenging target we set for this year group.

"This success is a tribute to our students in this year group who have been hard-working and great fun throughout their time at our college."

Mel Jeary, 16, exceeded expectations by gaining 10 grades C and above. She is looking forward to studying for a diploma in animal care at Bicton College.

She said: "I was expecting to do badly and didn't want to open my envelope. I'm really happy with my results because it's meant I could do the course I wanted to do."

Eisha Miah, 16, is one of the school's highest achievers with four A*s, six As, and two Bs. She said: "I found the exams really stressful and I came out of them thinking I did really badly.

"I'm looking forward to studying psychology, sociology, English language and photography at Exeter College and may like to get a job with the police."

Sally Alford, 43, is a teaching assistant at the school and achieved two A*s in history and geography. She said: "I wanted to take the exams so I could help support the students better and improve my skills. I was hoping for Bs, possibly an A, but definitely not two A*s."

Isca College of Media Arts was celebrating the second highest headline GCSE results in its history.

More than 45 per cent of pupils achieved five or more A*-C grades — up from 37 per cent in 2009. And the number gaining five good passes including English and maths rose from 28.5 per cent to over 30 per cent. Every pupil passed at least one exam.

Headteacher Mandi Street said: "This is our smallest year group and there are some fantastic achievements for many pupils. This is credit to the hard work of the students and the support and encouragement they have received.

"Exam grades by themselves never do tell the whole story of a child's achievements. We are proud that Isca College enables students to be happy and successful in a range of activities including academic qualifications, enabling the best possible future for them.

Overall, we expect GCSE results here to continue to rise over the coming years," said Ms Street.

Among the college's outstanding achievers was Sam Chamberlain, 16, who gained 12 top grades and won an Army scholarship which will sponsor him through college and university.

Joanna Faligowska, 16, was one of several students who spoke very little English when they first came to Isca College. She passed eight GCSEs with a range of grades at C and above, including a grade B in English.

Emily Broadbelt, 16, from Topsham, was very nervous before she opened her white envelope, and relieved to discover she had achieved four A*s, three As, three Bs and one C.

She said: "I'm pretty pleased overall. I'm going to Exeter College to study biology, chemistry, psychology and either English or art. I want to go into medicine in the long run."

Dan Meace, 16, from Wonford, was delighted with his three As, four Bs and two Cs.

He said: "I wasn't expecting to get so many As so I'm ecstatic."

Emily Roberts, 16, from St Leonard's, got two A*s, four As, two Bs and two Cs — and secured her sixth form place at Plymouth High School for Girls, where she will study English, psychology, art and photography.

"I'm very happy," she said. "I was worried I wasn't going to get in."

Students at St Peter's Church of England Aided School also exceeded their teachers' high expectations.

Some 72 per cent achieved five or more passes at grade C or above including English and mathematics – an all-time record for the school.

And 80 per cent achieved five or more passes at grade C or above — another new high.

Headteacher Mark Perry said: "We are extremely pleased with these results, which are the culmination of much hard work and enthusiasm from our students, commitment and expertise from their teachers, and the support and encouragement of their parents.

"Their successes will enable so many of the group, at all levels, to progress to their chosen next step."

Results had also risen once again at Exmouth Community College, where the number of students achieving five or more A* to C grades including English and maths was up from 56 per cent in 2009 to 59 per cent.

Top performers included Julian Ashwin and Jacqueline Hughes, who both achieved 12 A*s and one A, and Beth Foxon, who picked up 10 A*s and two As.

Principal Tony Alexander said he was delighted that for eight consecutive years the number of students gaining five or more GCSEs including English and maths has risen.

"I am very proud of all that has been achieved and am delighted that the hard work of the students and my staff has been recognised in such a positive way," he said.

At Clyst Vale Community College, a record 72 per cent of students achieved at least five C grades and every student achieved at least one pass.

In total, 17 students achieved seven or more A grades.

Principal Dr Kevin Bawn said: "Full credit goes to our high-achieving students, but we have some great individual performances to celebrate from young people of all abilities, some of whom have defied the odds to earn their grades. Once again, I am so proud of the students here, and staff who taught and supported them."

It was another successful year for Colyton Grammar School, where all students take their GCSEs at the end of Year 10, a year earlier than in most schools.

Nearly half the year group achieved five or more A* grades, with 85 per cent of all GCSEs awarded A or A* grades.

Seven students achieved A*s in all 11 subjects they studied: Sarah Clarke, Mark Collett, Hannah Cook, Bethany Durrant, Tom Hunt, Clodagh Krasucki and Blathnaid McCullagh.

Headteacher Paul Evans said "These are another excellent set of results across the whole year group. I'm very pleased with all the successes and congratulate every student on their achievement.

"As well as the 'high fliers', it's good to see the people who through hard work and determination have met or exceeded their personal targets. I'm also grateful to staff who have worked hard to support students to do so well."

At the King's School in Ottery St Mary, 77 per cent of students gained five or more GCSEs at A*-C and 70 per cent gained five or more A*-Cs including English and maths — representing another year on year improvement.

Headteacher Faith Jarrett said: "We are absolutely delighted with the attainment of this year's GCSE students.

"These results are obviously the culmination of a great deal of hard work by the students supported by their teachers and families. This level of success certainly gives the students an excellent platform to now move into further education or employment."

At Queen Elizabeth's Community College in Crediton, 64 per cent of students achieved five or more A*-C grades.

Principal Richard Newton Chance said: "We are very proud of the achievements of our young people. They have worked very hard to achieve these results."

At Teignmouth Community College 84 per cent of students gained at least five passes at C grade or above and over 62 per cent achieved top grade passes in English and maths.

Having achieved 11 passes all at grade A*or A, Anna Baumgart and Hannah Pyne were just two of the many students celebrating their results.

Principal Tony Gray praised the hard work of students and staff that led to the best ever results in the college's history.

"These are fantastic results that will give the students a good launch into their chosen adult career path," he said.

Among local private schools, it was a record year at Exeter School, where the A*-C percentage hit 99.6 per cent.

There were 41 candidates who scored eight or more A*/A grades, with 21 notching up 10 or more A*/A grades.

Headmaster Bob Griffin said he was very pleased for the 93 successful GCSE candidates and congratulated them and their teachers.

At the Maynard School 48 per cent of students gained A* grades, with 18 students scoring straight A* or A grades and four gaining straight A* grades.

Headmistress Bee Hughes said: "This year's Maynard students have once again performed outstandingly well at GCSE, with exceptional achievements at A* and A Grade. All students should be very proud of their achievements and all deserve our hearty congratulations."

Bramdean School achieved a 100 per cent pass rate at A* to C, with 73 per cent at grades A* to B.

Headmistress Diane Stoneman said "We are delighted for the pupils as they have worked very hard and deserve these fine results."

St Margaret's headmistress Sheila Cooper said: "Our students' own high expectations, their 'can-do' attitude, plus exceptional staff support, gained real success this year, with excellent numbers gaining high grades (42 per cent A/A*). St Margaret's students' 'value-added' continues to amaze us all, with many students gaining not just one, but two grades above predictions.

"We are truly delighted they have such good foundations for their futures."

At Trinity School, in Teignmouth, 20 per cent of pupils achieved five or more A* or A grades.

Headmaster Tim Waters said: "We have had some exceptional individual results, but most pleasing are the number of pupils right across the ability range who have exceeded expectations."