The waiting for A-level pupils is finally over, after this year's results were revealed.

This was the first year of results for a combined sixth form for Wilmington Grammar School for Boys and Girls.

Around 65% of pupils achieved A*-B.

One pupil, Matthew Baker, 18, got A* in music, B in French and B in German. He is off to Trinity Laban Conservatoire to study a BMus in music. He is a talented musician who has Grade 8 in both piano and saxophone.

He said: “I was really pleased and a bit shocked with the A* because I was hoping for an A, so the A* was brilliant.

“I definitely want to be a musician – I have a dream of being a concert pianist or a conductor.

“I started learning music from the age of six or seven; I just kept nagging my parents to send me to lessons.

“I am really looking forward to doing lots of performing at the conservatoire and just the whole university experience. I have just loved it here and the teachers have all been amazing.”

He wanted to thank David Knights, who was deputy head but has now left, Becky Whitmarsh, head of music, as well as head teacher Andy Williamson for all their help and advice.

Mr Williamson said: “There is actually little difference between the boys and the girls in terms of performance.

"This is the first year we have combined the school years. We have found that the boys have learned presentation and organisational skills off the girls, while the girls have learned how to control stress and anxiety from the boys.

“The two schools have been working together unofficially for 20 years and we wanted to move them on to the next level. This has given the schools more opportunities.

“In the smaller subjects we have been able to specialise the facilities. We have Apple Macs and good media facilities at the boys’ site while the girls’ site is having a £2m development for a new music block so our students get double for their money.”

Geraldine Tiddy, who is head of the combined sixth form known as WG6, said: “I am very proud of the individual achievements of all our students and am thrilled with the first set of results for WG6.

"I have also seen first hand how much the students have enjoyed their time at Wilmington and the strength of the friendships they have made. I wish every one of them the best for their futures.”

Spirits were also high at Longfield Academy where 61% of all A-level grades were A*-C with 13% at A*-A.

Principal Anne Davis said: “We are delighted with the achievement of our students. This is an improvement on last year’s results and reflects much hard work by a number of people, not least our students and their parents.

"We wish our students all the best for the future as they move on to university or in to employment."

Pupils Demi Asbury, Emma Holmes, Joel Mulley-Goodbane and Michael Norman were reserved for special praise by the leadership who also celebrated an impressive set of AS results.

Gravesend Grammar School students achieved well with 50% getting A*-B grades.

Head teacher Geoff Wybar said he was pleased with pupils and hoped they achieved further excellence.

He said: "The results represent massive amounts of hard work on the part of individual students who, with guidance from their teachers and support from their families, have attained well-deserved success.

"Maths continues to produce impressive results as do economics and geography and we are very pleased with the success of our students.

"We wish them the very best as they move on to the next stage in their education."

St John's Catholic School had an historic year, achieving more A*s than ever before.

Among those collecting their results this morning were David Ilumoka, 18, who achieved double distinction * in engineering, an A in extended projects and a distinction in ICT. He also took maths at A-level but wanted to keep his result to himself.

He said: "I'm going to either Aston University or Portsmouth, I'm not quite sure which one yet. I'm really pleased with my results over all. I have no idea how I'm going to celebrate but it will be with my friends."

Louisa Clements, 18, achieved an A in English literature, B in art and B in photography.

She said: "I've done better than I thought I would. I'm going to study an art foundation at UCA in Rochester and then I'm going to do a degree in photography."

Sophie Hitchings, 18, was another who achieved well in the arts, with an A* in photography and a B in art.

She said: "I'm going to do my foundation at UCA and then hopefully a degree in photography.

"I did photography in GCSE and I really enjoyed it. It was more personal this year than last year, we got to choose our own photography shoots instead of being told what to do. I focused on distorted photographs."

Saint George's Church of England School enjoyeda successful year with almost every pupil achieving entry into their first choice university.

Head teacher Steve Carey said he was thrilled with how they had performed across a broad range of subjects.

He said: "In recent years we have seen an increasing number of students join Russell Group and Oxbridge universities in particular; a trend that continues this year.

"We have had particular success in facilitating subjects such as maths, English literature and physics and we are extremely proud of the achievements of all of our sixth form students this year who worked so hard and collegiately to achieve such success."

Jake Campbell, 18, was one of the pupils with a smile on his face after picking up his results.

He got an A in computer science, A in Spanish, B in maths, B in product design and a distinction * in ICT.

Jake said: "I'm very happy with my results. I'm back here next year to help teach computer science and then hopefully I'm off to York university.

"I'm going to celebrate by having a couple of mates round later and if we're all happy we'll go to the pub and if we're not as happy, we'll still go to the pub."

Doyin Adekunle, 18, was another of the school's high flyers and achieved an A in English literature, A* in maths, A in psychology and an A in further maths at AS level.

She said: "I'm ecstatic. I wasn't expecting this at all, especially further maths as the exam was a struggle. I guess I shouldn't have worried though.

"I'm going to university to study philosophy, politics and economics but to celebrate me and my friends are going to Nando's."

Sarah Bull, 18, was another pupil at the top of the class with an A* in English literature, an A* in biology and an A in history.

She said: "I'm going to Royal Holloway University to study history. I wanted to study something broad and I've always enjoyed history.

"The exams were a struggle, I wasn't prepared to do this well. I'm going out with my friends tonight to celebrate."

Dartford Grammar School for Girls pupils won university places across the country after opening their A-level results.

Ellen Wilkinson will move north to Yorkshire to read medicene at Sheffield University after she achieved two A* and an A while Charley Poultney is studying the same subject at the University of East Anglia after she gained an A* and two As.

Chloe Shang was also highlighted after she won a place at Cambridge to study a degree in architecture when she attained an A* and two As and Abigail Roscoe is heading to Lancaster University to read Geography following her A and two Bs.

Head teacher Sharon Pritchard described the school’s performance as “excellent” after 71% of all grades achieved were at A*-B with a third of marks at A* and A.

She said: “Students and staff have worked very hard to achieve these excellent results and the students thoroughly deserve their success.”

Mayfield Grammar School had a good year with 25% of its pupils achieving A*-A.

Head teacher Elaine Wilson said she was extremely proud of all her students.

She said: "We are delighted that a quarter of our A-level results are either A* or A.

"We are understandably proud of our students and these exceptional results are testament to the hard work and commitment of all our students together with the excellent teaching they receive at school."

Among those who enjoyed exceptionally good results was Janpreet Khabra, 18, who got A*s in Spanish, maths, chemistry and further maths.

Janpreet said: "I didn’t think I’d get all A*s. I thought I’d perhaps get one. There were a lot of exams where’d you’d come out and had no idea how you were going to do.

"I’m going to Oxford University to study maths and computer science. I’m good at maths but I didn’t want to do just one subject and computer science is very relevant at the moment.”

Other happy students included Rebecca Watkins, 18, who got an A* in maths, B in physics, B in chemistry and an A in further maths at AS level.

She said: “I’m pleased, I was hoping to get an A in physics but a B is fine, I got into my first choice university so I’m happy. I’m going to Surrey university to study physics."

There were mixed feelings for Aimee Puglsey, 18, who despite achieving great results, is playing the waiting game for the time being.

Aimee, who achieved an A* in history, A in geography and B in PE, said: “I’m pleased but I haven’t been accepted by my first choice university yet.

"I needed A*, A, A so it’s just the B that has stopped me. I’m pleased but I’m just in suspense at the moment. I’m going out with my friends tonight and hopefully that will take my mind off it."

Northfleet School for Girls saw their best ever sixth-form results with 21% of pupils getting A*-B, an increase of 9% on last year.

Head teacher Chris Norwood said: "We are very proud of our students and their aspirations to reach the top grades. It is down to their hard work, parents' support and the dedication of our staff that our students have seen such an increase in the top grades.

"We are now confident all our students will be able to use these achievements in developing aspirational and successful careers."

Leigh Academy saw 74% of pupils get A*-C grades, 1% lower than last year; 25% achieved A*-A.

Principal Sharon Waterman said: "We are pleased that the students have maintained high standards at A-level and it is going to enable a large proportion of them to go to their chosen destination at university.

"Our strengths are in business studies, and we are striving to improve our already high standards.

"We are really proud of them and we wish them all the best in the future and I hope they keep in touch via our allumni website."

Wilmington Academy also recorded the best results in the history of the school - even before it became an academy - with a 98% pass rate; 82% A*-C, 54% A*-B and 35% A*-A.

Every pupil in year 13 is either going to university or an apprenticeship.

Assistant principal Becky Roberts, who also runs the sixth form, said: "All our students have dedicated tutor support and really strong pastoral support to make sure they are hitting their targets and meeting our high expectations.

"We also run lots of enrichment activities to prepare them to become independent learners."

Principal Tracey Trusler said: "Thank you to all the staff and students for all their hard work and for not giving up."

Teenagers will now have some tough choices to make about their futures. To help, North West Kent College and our kmfm roadshow team will be at Broadway Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath, 11am-3pm, tomorrow (Friday).

There is the chance to discover what options are available after your GCSEs and A-levels, with hundreds of courses and places available from September.

At Meopham School, a record of number of pupils have won places at universities after an improved set of A-level results for a third consecutive year.

Pupils achieved an average of three B grades with 65% of those who studied English literature attainig an A*-B grade.

Head teacher Suzanne Dickinson said: "Once again, the students of Meopham School have excelled. We are incredibly proud of these results.

"It is wonderful to see our academic and family-focused ethos yielding excellence, both within school and beyond."

Sixth-form director Manj Nijjer added: "It was incredible to see so many happy faces. We have a record number of students who applied to university this year, and every single one of them has had their place confirmed today."

Those celebrating included head boy Ashley Cousins who is hoping to pursue a career on the stage.

He said: "I am extremely proud to have secured my A grade in English, A in finance and distinction* in business studies.

"I have been offered the opportunity to further my career in acting and will play a lead role in the stage production of Gangsta Granny.

While Nicole Thomas and Jessica Saunders both gained places at the University of Kent to study criminology and English respectively.

Nicole added: "I’m amazed by my A in English, B in Media, B in Finance and Distinction* in ICT. I have now secured the grades to go on to study English at the University of Kent."