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by Jess Banham

It was an anxious morning for many but
it seems all the hard work has paid off as the A level pass rate
has improved across the county.

More than 7,000 pupils sat their
exams at the start of the summer and many are now secure
in their places at university or in training and
employment.

Cllr Mike Whiting, deputy cabinet member for education at Kent
County Council, said that was down to the hard work of staff and
pupils.

"It is not an easier life for pupils today," he added. "The
hard work of staff and pupils seems to be paying off.

"It is great for the pupils and gives them a stab at what is a
very competitive year this year."

High fives and hugs were the order of the day for many
Dartford students receiving their results.

At Dartford Grammar School for Girls every A
level student passed, the fourth year in a row this has
happened.

Josephine Ives, 18, of Dawson Drive, Hextable, received two A*s
and an A and will read geography at Cambridge.

She said: "I'm so pleased - I'm really looking forward to it. I
was really shocked and felt ecstatic."

Head teacher Jane Wheatley, who is retiring after next week's
GCSE results, said: "They are excellent results. The girls have
worked hard and got the results they deserve the results are
outstanding.

"It's a good time to go out on a high."

Staff and pupils at Folkestone Academy were
celebrating their best ever results.

At A-level there was a 100% pass rate with 78% of all grades at
A* to C.

Principal Sean Heslop said: "This represents an outstanding
achievement by the students.

"Im particularly pleased with our continued success in getting
more and more students to university."

Sheppey students have set their own personal record year
for results.

At the Isle of Sheppey Academy, there was
a 99% pass rate, with students achieving A*- E grades.

That's an improvement on the 95.5% from last year.

Of that 99%, 67% of students gained grades of A* - C, which
is an improvement from last year, too.

Laura Yonish, who
celebrated A level results at Highworth School in Ashford

New academy principal David Day said: "The high academic
excellence achieved by the students has to be applauded.

"The number of A and B grades is a testimony to the ability of
our sixth formers and their teachers.

"The results are a major boost to the Island community because
the employment, university and life chances of our students have
been transformed."

Students at Gravesend Grammar School for Girls
have also been celebrating after 83 per cent achieved A* - C
grades.

"i was pretty overwhelmed, i just said 'wow' and not much else…” – rosie klement

Head teacher Elaine
Wilson said: "Our students have worked extremely hard and we
congratulate them on their success. We wish them well for the
future."

Rosie Klement, of Mounts Road, Greenhithe, opened her envelope
this morning to discover she picked up three A* grades in maths,
English and history.

Rosie, who is studying law at Nottingham University in
September, said: "I was pretty overwhelmed, I just said 'wow' and
not much else."

Twins Iain and Isabelle Matthews from New Barn are studying at
University College London and Warwick, respectively, after both
achieved two A grades.

Click here for more results from Gravesend

The Norton Knatchbull
School in Ashford achieved an overall pass rate of
98%, with 54% of students achieving all As or A*s.

Head Teacher Susanne Staab said: "We are absolutely delighted
with the results."

"I'd like to congratulate all of our students for their hard
work and the staff who prepared them for their exams."

Ashford School, whose students are
pictured left, achieved an overall pass rate of 100% with 63%
of students achieving all As or A*s, a record for the school.

Head Teacher Mike Buchanan said: "The school has done incredibly
well.

"As a result most students have got the places at the university
they wanted despite an incredibly tough year."

At Highworth School in Ashford,
pupil Laura Yonish was celebrating.

Laura, 18, from Smeeth studied sociology, English literature and
drama and theatre studies among others and got four A* grades.

She said: "I'm so happy and I'll be going to Exeter university
to study English literature. I'd love to be a journalist because
I've always enjoyed writing or if not that, certainly something to
do with English."

Among the first pupils to collect
their results in Medway were those at Fort Pitt Grammar
School for Girls, in Chatham.

Fiona Young, 18, of Locksley Close,
Walderslade, is aiming to study psychology at Oxford University
after winning three A*s and an A.

She said: "I'd never thought of applying to Oxford until one of my
teachers said I should so I thought I'd give it a go.

"My interview was terrifying. I'm
really nervous about the future, but incredibly pleased with my
results."

Fort Pitt head teacher Julia Bell
said:"I'm over the moon, ecstatic with the success of my pupils.
They've all worked really hard and I'm confident of the
contribution they'll make to society."

Students at Fulston Manor School in
Sittingbourne are also delighted with their success. 95% of A
levels have been passed with over a third of them at grades A or
B.

Picture: Pupils at The Westlands
School

The Westlands School
in Sittingbourne are celebrating too as they
have gained a significant rise in the number of UCAS points
per student - up 75 points from 2010. Overall the number of
top grades doubled from last year with the overall A –E %
standing at 99%.

Headteacher Jon Whitcombe said: "I'm
delighted for our students’ success in this year’s Sixth Form
examination results. We have seen our best ever set of examination
results by far."

Audio: Parents and
students from Valley Park School in Maidstone

Students at Dover Grammar
School for Girls are enjoying their best ever results
at A level with 59% of the entries being awarded the top grades of
A*-B.

The UCAS points per student rose to
463, again an all time high. Cherry Liu is celebrating after
gaining seven A levels, with six at the top A* grade.

Robert Howell, one of a growing number
of male students in the VI form will be taking up his place at
Cambridge to read Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic after
gaining six A levels, with four at A* and A grades and
Head Prefect Emma Castledine built on her successes last year by
securing six A levels with no fewer than four at Grade
A.

Headteacher Matthew Bartlett said:
"This is a wonderful set of results, that is testament to the
talents of a delightful group of students.

"We are also proud that our students
perform exceptionally well in subjects such as Physics, Maths and
History which are seen as particularly demanding."

At At
Hartsdown College in Margate, staff and pupils,
pictured above, were celebrating an improvement on last
year.

Principal Andy Somers said: "Our aim
is to encourage our young people to raise their aspirations, to
broaden their horizons, and to look beyond the accepted boundaries
that many people are constrained by.

"Our focused learning from Year 7
right through college life to A Level really encourages our
students aim higher and this year we have performed very well once
again."

Top performing subjects included
business, health and social care, media studies, with science and
English consolidating on excellent results last year.

Notable successes included Sagar
Sohan, whose three A level passes included an A in Maths.

Click here for more results from Dover

Head girl and head boy at St Edmund's Catholic
School in Dover are the top achievers at A level.

Sophie Rowland has gained four A levels at grades A, B and two
Cs, while Liam Clarke has gained three A levels at grades A* and
two Bs as well as two AS levels.

Jasmin Anchor achieved the school's first ever A* in travel and
tourism.

But not everyone will have received the grades they needed. Bev
Woodhams runs the clearing process at Greenwich University, which
has a campus in Medway, and said it is important to keep calm.

She added: "Speak to careers advisors
or talk to teachers. Phone universities even and find out what can
be done with the results the students have."

Are you getting your A level
results today? How did you do? Do you want to congratulate someone
who did well, or cheer up someone whose results weren't as good as
they'd hoped? Join the debate below.