A MIXED picture of GCSE exam performance emerged from schools and colleges across York, North and East Yorkshire on results day.

At York schools, provisional indicators showed that 64 per cent pupils achieved five or more A*-C grades including English and maths GCSE compared with 67 per cent last year and 63 per cent in 2012.

A City of York Council spokesman said this year's results were not comparable to previous years because of changes to the exam system, a picture mirrored nationally where reductions in coursework and the move away from modular exams towards end of course tests impacted on results.

English seemed to have been most affected across the country, with the number of A*-C grades down 1.9 percentage points to 61.7 per cent. This was also influenced by the removal of the "speaking and listening" element of the subject.

A t Burnholme Community College it was a poignant day as the last cohort of pupils arrived to collect their results after the school closed in the summer.

Head teacher, Simon Gumn, said: " Our last ever Year 11 students received good GCSE results and we are happy they can now move on to the next stage of their education with confidence. I would like to thank all students, parents, staff and governors for the support they have given Burnholme over the many years and wish them all the best for the future."

At York High School in Acomb, head teacher David Ellis said changes to the examination system had hit home.

"Many students in Year 11 this year had junior school Key Stage 2 levels below national expectations when they joined us and the move to end of course exams and the lack of opportunities to resit have hit these students hard. In spite of the hard work of the students, the support of the families and the commitment of staff ,our results have dropped to 43 per cent of students gaining five A*- C including English and maths. This is of course disappointing but is an inevitable consequence of an assessment based mainly on longer exams at the end of a two-year course.”

In North Yorkshire, early indications show that results so far this year show that the proportion of pupils achieving five passes at A*-C including English and maths GCSE will be more than 65 per cent for the third year running.

Cllr Arthur Barker, North Yorkshire’s executive member for schools, said: “There has been a great deal of change in the exam system for students and teachers at this level and so these results are commendable. There is much for us to be proud of.”

Many schools in the East Riding Council area are celebrating improved GCSE results, despite national changes which have seen a drop in results across the country.

Indications are that 60 per cent of students in East Riding schools and academies attained the gold standard of five or more A* to C grades, including English and maths, this year, a fall of two per cent from last year.

A number of East Yorkshire schools celebrated improvements in their top grades, despite a national dip.

Bridlington School, Beverley Grammar School, Howden School, The Market Weighton School and Woldgate College were among those celebrating improved results.