Cornish pupils get GCSE results on 'exciting' day

Josie, from Launceston College, is off to Wells Cathedral School to be a specialist musician

Pupils across Cornwall have been finding out how they did in their GCSEs as results were handed out.

Thousands of pupils in the county opened up their results.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Joint Council for Qualifications said the pass rate had fallen for a third year running with 67.6% of all grades at 4/C and above.

Matt Thompson, regional director of the Athena Learning Trust - which includes Camborne Science and International Academy, Pool Academy and Launceston College, said the results across the schools were looking good.

Mr Thompson said there had been improvements across the trust's three secondary schools and it was a really exciting day.

"You can feel the excitement in the room, the buzz in the room," he said.

Launceston College pupil Aaron said he was pleased with his results

Pupils said they were very pleased with how they had done and could not wait for their next adventures.

Josie, 16, from Launceston College is off to Wells Cathedral School as a specialist musician on the saxophone after getting a set of 8s and 9s in her results.

She said: "I'm really happy and my parents are really happy as well."

Fellow Launceston College pupil Aaron got a series of 9s, 8s, 7s and 6s in his results across subjects including science, computer science and French.

Aaron said he has his eyes on a place at either Oxford or Cambridge University as he moves into sixth form.

"I'm looking to go up there and do a degree in economics," he said.

Eve was tearful after opening her GCSE results

Elsewhere at Launceston College, Eve broke down with tears of joy when she opened her results.

Her grades included 7s in English and science along with a 6 in maths.

Eve said: "I'm just so relieved, just really relieved because I was so stressed about it."

Rugby loving Tallan, a pupil of Sir James Smith's School in Camelford, had some physical issues to overcome during his exams.

In April, he fractured his right thumb playing rugby, meaning he needed a scribe and extra time to help him complete his GCSE exams.

Tallan needed help during his exams due to a thumb injury he suffered playing rugby

"I was a bit worried at first, I was like this is going to mess it all up," Tallan said.

"But it went quite smoothly in the end."

Tallan is planning to study an extended diploma in film at Truro College, where he hopes to continue playing rugby.