THOUSANDS of students across Suffolk have just a few more hours of anxious waiting left before they get their A-level results tomorrow.

Naomi Cassidy

THOUSANDS of students across Suffolk have just a few more hours of anxious waiting left before they get their A-level results tomorrow.

Weeks of worry will finally come to an end for more than 250,000 students across the country as the results of their exams taken in the summer will be revealed.

Early predictions are that there will be a rise in the number of passes and A grades across the UK, prompting a degree of optimism among education chiefs in the county.

Patricia O Brian, Suffolk county councillor for children and young people, said: “I know how hard the students and staff across Suffolk have worked on the A levels over the last year and I'm hopeful the results will reflect their dedication and commitment.”

Last year figures from the exam boards showed that 25.3 per cent of exams were graded A, up from 24.1pc the previous year. Overall 96.9pc of candidates taking A-Levels last summer achieved at least an E grade pass-again an increase on the previous year.

The success in Suffolk last year was mirrored across the country where the national pass rate rose for the 25th year in a row.

Over the weekend UCAS began processing the exam results of around 38,000 students in the eastern region who are hoping to secure a place at university or college this year.

UCAS matches the results sent by examination boards to applicants, and then forwards them to universities and colleges to make decisions on offers and places.

For those who don't get the grades they need, they can go through the clearing system. Last year out of the 3,830 students that got accepted for university place, 6.7pc of them achieved this through clearing.

See tomorrow's edition of The Evening Star for coverage of the results. For full coverage, including the best performers in the region plus regular updates of the results throughout the day visit the Star's website at www.eveningstar.co.uk.