ANXIETY and anticipation turned to relief as pupils at Stowupland High School whipped open their envelopes to reveal the A-level results they had long been waiting for.

By Victoria Knowles

ANXIETY and anticipation turned to relief as pupils at Stowupland High School whipped open their envelopes to reveal the A-level results they had long been waiting for.

Nervous huddles of teenagers huddled outside the school for that magic hour of 9am, when they were among the first in the country to see their results outlined in black and white before them.

Shrieks could be heard as the results were eventually given out. Some were of joy and others of total surprise.

To some, the occasion marked the end of their fight against adversity.

Kathryn Hunter, 18, of Stowupland, said: "It feels like I am standing on a mountain and getting ready to go over the top. For me this is third time lucky."

During her GCSEs her mum had been hospitalised and throughout the first year of her A-levels her mum suffered a nervous breakdown.

She said: "I was trying to look after her and study at the same time. It was a real struggle. And it really affected me. A lot of the burden was on my shoulders."

Kathryn gained four A-levels two Ds, a B and a C in Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Physics. She is now hoping to go to the University of East Anglia do a nursing degree.

Dan Chaplin, 18, was ecstatic with his results. "I got an A in drama, a B in physics and a B in maths. I am planning to go off travelling around Australia, but eventually I want to get into computing.

"I was wracked with nerves this morning but considering I didn't do that much work for two years, I am really pleased," he laughed.

Dan Jones, also 18, of Earl Stonham, got three Cs in English, Geography and Philosophy. He wants to go on to study for a Geography degree and eventually join the Marines.

He said: "I was up at 6 this morning and went to work, but I couldn't take my mind off the results. I was so nervous but I have done much better than expected."

Headteacher Peter Richards said: "It has gone very well and we have a high overall pass rate. We are also really pleased that four of our pupils have got into Cambridge. These are Penny Moore, Robert Brookes, Cherie Ruegg and Katie Gregory.

"I would just like to say to people who doubted the A-level results, that there is no documentary evidence to say that they are getting easier, and having taught A-levels this year, I have seen no sign of it. They are not getting easier, they are just different.

"We have also noticed a marked improvement in the girls' scores this year."