Nervous faces of students turning up to school in Lowestoft and Southwold transformed into jubilation and delight as they received their A-level and BTEC results.

In Lowestoft, Lowestoft Sixth Form, which has just merged with East Coast College, celebrated another year of success, with the percentage of students gaining A* to C grades at 80pc, the same as in 2017.

This was alongside a 99.7pc A* to E pass rate, and a superb 100pc BTEC pass rate with 84pc achieving top distinction grades.

One Lowestoft student, Lucas He, from Carlton Colville, celebrated outstanding results and entry into one of the UK's top universities.

Revising for sometimes 12 hours a day, Lucas successfully gained five A*s in Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, and Additional Maths, and will study Natural Sciences at Gonville and Caius college at Cambridge University.

Principal, Kevin Greive, said: 'I am extremely proud of what they have achieved and their progression from college to University.

'I'm proud of the students being ambitious and with the results that we are consistently getting now. We try to give them confidence to achieve what they want to, and that they are just as good as any other school's students. Well done to all involved.'

Southwold's Saint Felix also celebrated strong results, although overall pass rates were down compared to 2017. The schools A* to C pass rate dropped by five percent to 73pc this year, and their overall A* to E pass rate was down from 99pc to 94.4pc.

Rosie Kinsella, from Reydon, achieved an A* in Ancient History, including 100pc scores in two of her four final papers, after studying the full course in just one year at the school and will start at Nottingham University in September, studying in History and Ancient History.

Headmaster James Harrison said: 'I have the highest praise for all of our Sixth Formers today. The vast majority have once again secured places at their first choice universities.

'Strong results across the Classics, Music, Sciences and the Arts demonstrate that the Saint Felix approach works: offering a broad curriculum, in small tutorial-style classes, tailored to each individual student and supported by a committed and inspirational teaching team.'

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Kell Tisdall battled anxiety connected to his autism and adapting to the school environment to make a success of his exams.

Kell, who was home-schooled from the age of nine until taking his GCSEs at Lowestoft Sixth Form three years ago, gained an A* in Sociology, and four distinction stars in ICT, Game Design, and Business.

He also was awarded the Principal's award for Student of the Year in 2016.

He will now go on to study Business Information Systems at the University of East Anglia; an incredible achievement for someone who was described by teachers as 'highly anxious' when he started at the college.

He said: 'To sum up college in one word; perfect. With the help of all the teachers, the facilities, everything here, I managed to get perfect grades for all my A-levels.

'I'd love to thank in particular Tracy Squirrell, she helped me every step of the way from when I was about to join college to the end.

He said: 'I'm really looking forward to meeting new people, learning everything around the course, and also living independently which will one of the biggest achievements for me.'