THE anxious wait is finally over for thousands of Kent students with A-level results revealed today. Again the record pass rate is re-igniting the annual row over standards.

But Kent teacher and NUT spokesman Doug Macari puts the success down to the hard work of students, as he told KM-fm...

Meanwhile, the sound of tearing envelopes echoed throughout schools in Kent as students opened their A-Level results.

Catherine Barber, head teacher of Cornwallis School at Linton, Maidstone, said the pass rate had reached an all time high of 91 per cent.

She said: "Despite there still being a slight gender gap we are very pleased with the results and we have one student waiting to find out if she has secured a place at Oxbridge, which is a first for us."

Invicta Grammar School, Huntsman Lane, Maidstone, maintained its 100 per cent pass rate and saw the overall percentage of A and B grades rise from 52 per cent to 55 per cent.

Head teacher Sue Glanville said the percentage of students obtaining A to C grades rose from last year to 83 per cent.

"We are delighted with the results which are due to the hard work of the students who are under increasing pressure to perform.

"We had three students who got 4 As, one of which is going to medical school and another is waiting to see if they got a place at Oxford University," she added.

Charlie Mount, head of the sixth form at Maidstone Grammar School in Barton Road dismissed claims that exams were becoming easier after 98 per cent of students passed.

"The results are due to standards of education increasing," he said. "The boys are catching up with the girls mainly because of the flexibility of the system allowing pupils to drop their weakest subject at the end of year 12.

"We are particularly pleased with one of the students who got three As and is now going on to study medicine, despite having dyslexia."

Joshua Pink got four As and one B in Chemistry, English Literature, Maths, Further Maths and History and also achieved three As at AS level.

Dr Mary Kiely, head teacher at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls in Buckland Road e, was particularly pleased with 15 of her students who gained either three or four A grades.

"Overall we had a 98.5 per cent pass rate," she said. "Total A grades accounted for 25.25 per cent which is comparable to last year."

Maplesden Noakes School in Buckland Road, Maidstone returned a pass rate of 80 per cent, which was up 2 per cent on last year and Lydia Wood, 18, looks set to study landscape design at university after she gained two As and one C.

Early indications at Mid Kent College, Oakwood Park, Maidstone suggested that students had achieved a higher pass rate than last year.

Alan Ashfield, head of quality assurance, said the results were the outcome of hard work and good teaching.

* Clearing experts at the University of Greenwich at Medway have been the busiest ever since the university's hotlines opened at 8.30am today.

Dai Hall, Head of Admissions, said that more than 100 lines were operating to answer the host of enquiries from A-level students seeking university courses and places this autumn.

Business, Engineering, Science, Nursing and Pharmacy courses available at the university campus at Chatham Maritime are proving popular choices and offers have already been made. However, there are still a number of places available.

For further information and advice call the University of Greenwich Clearing hotline on 0800 005 006 or visit www.gre.ac.uk