Students, staff and parents at Felixstowe Academy are delighted after a re-marking of GCSE English exam work resulted in the number of A* to C grades increasing by 12% on the previous year.

Independent adjudicators assessed the coursework before it was submitted and teachers were “deeply unhappy” that grades had been reduced significantly across the board.

After a two-month wait and just days before re-sits were due to be taken, more than 40 students have now received higher grades.

The revised grades show 65% of students achieved A* to C grades, an increase of 12% on last year, and bucks the national trend of a slight decline overall against 2013.

The new grades also increased the combined A* to C for English with Maths to 45% from 43%.

Principal Andrew Salter said: “I am really thrilled for all those students who have had, at last, true recognition for their hard work and commitment towards their studies.

“For many this will mean not having to re-sit their English course, allowing them to focus on their A-level and BTEC courses fully.

“This was also a vindication that the quality of teaching and learning in English, as we already knew, has been validated through these results.

“This team can now go forward with confidence that they are on the right course to improve results even further this academic year.”

Academy sixth form student, Alex Murray, one of the students who benefitted from the result challenge, said: “This increase in my English grade is a real weight off my mind and it’s good to know that all my hard work did pay off in the end. I feel a lot happier now I am able to focus fully on my A-levels.”

In terms of progress, which is how schools/academies are measured, the standard measure from a primary school starting point through to GCSE is 3 Levels of Progress. The Academy’s August results showed 61% of students had made 3 levels of progress, but the re-marking puts it at 70%, an increase of 19% against 2013 and in line with national performance.