Pupils across York were today celebrating their achievements in the GCSE examinations.

SEVEN UP: Celebrating their results at All Saints' RC School in York, where 12 pupils gaining seven or more As or A* grades, are (from top to bottom, left to right) Ben Fogarty, Lucy Bosworth, Alicja Wdowiak, Ruth Lewen, Chris Parvin, Amy Gilbert and Elizabeth Campbell

Once again city pupils got grades well above the national average, a trend also reflected across North Yorkshire.

In the city, early indications showed that about 60 per cent of the grades achieved were A* to C grades, compared with 57 per cent last year and compared with the national 56 per cent figure this year.

And around 52 per cent of pupils achieved five A* to C grades, up three per cent from last year.

All Saints', Fulford, Huntington, Joseph Rowntree, Manor and Millthorpe Schools achieved results well above the national average in York, while there were significant improvements on last year's performance by students in Burnholme, Canon Lee, Joseph Rowntree, Millthorpe and Oaklands Schools.

Praising the efforts of pupils, teachers and parents, the City of York's assistant education director, Chris Edwards, rejected claims that the exams were getting easier.

"If more and more people reach the benchmark, it doesn't help if people say it's getting easier," he said.

"The question is, do you believe that given the right support, encouragement, teaching and training that 50 per cent of kids in this city will still fail? I don't. I think we can get 80 per cent of the pupils in York achieving these standards."

Nationally the results showed yet another record pass rate, with the tenth successive improvement in top A* to C-grade passes - and the biggest for five years.

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