Student ‘burst out crying’ at exam results in South West

Students across Devon and Cornwall have received their A-level, T-level, BTec National and other Level 3 results.

Ucas said a record number of students were accepted into their first-choice university across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with 28.3% of all grades being marked at A* or A – up from 27.8% last year.

Exeter College student Ben was among those who opened results on Thursday. He said his A in Biology, A* in Law and A in Psychology were “very good for my standards and for what I was expecting to get”.

Megan from Launceston College in Cornwall also received an A* and two As, and said she “burst out crying” when she opened her results.

She said her chosen university had accepted her, but that she had now “applied for a different course”.

“I have to reapply through clearing now with these grades to get into biomedical science.”

Her mother said she was “so pleased for her, she’s just done amazing”, however her brother said “unfortunately she beat me”.

Charlotte Lancaster from Launceston College achieved four A*s, which she sad was “not necessarily what I was expecting”.

She said: “You do the exams and you’ve got that massive wait until results day, and then in your mind you go, ‘oh, I’ve got an A or B’, which are still great grades don’t get me wrong.

“It’s been a really long journey over two years, a lot of work – basically no free time.”

Natalia said her results were “definitely what I thought I would get” with a B and a C in product design and photography, and Phoebe got two A*s and an A and said “I got the email from Ucas to say I got my place”.

Billie Stokes, assistant principle at Exeter College, said seeing the students’ “smiley faces” when they opened their results made it “all worthwhile”.

He said: “You’ve been with them for two years, you’ve seen their journey, how they’ve developed, you know how important it feels to them and to go to their next steps.

“It’ll be a really, really happy and a bit emotional day as we also say goodbye to them.”

All students who took their T Levels at City College in Plymouth achieved a 100% pass rate.

Chief executive Jackie Grubb said its students had “once again shown exceptional commitment and perseverance, and we could not be prouder of their achievements”.

Bideford College’s A-level and BTEC results saw more than 40% of students achieving an A*/A.

Principal Dr Claire Ankers said today was “a moment of real celebration”.

She said: “Our students have worked incredibly hard, and it’s been a privilege to see their commitment, resilience, and determination pay off.

“We’re so proud of every single student and excited to see where their next steps will take them.”

The University of Plymouth said it had received more than 350 calls on its clearing hotline so far.

The university opened its phone lines at 08:00 BST and said students should take a moment to be proud about how far they had come.

Vice chancellor Richard Davies said: “Students who’ve changed their minds or got better results or worse results than they expected, please give us a ring, see if we can change what your offer is.

“We will give you an answer and we’ll guarantee your accommodation, so please get in touch… there’s lots of opportunity out there.”