Students at Lowestoft Sixth College are celebrating their A-level and As-level results today.

Opened in September 2011 it is the first set of A-level results for 160 students who have spent all their time in further education there over the last two years.

Today's results saw a A-level pass rate A* - E of 97pc, the same as last year, and the pass rate for AS-level A - E was 90pc, an increase of 12pc compared to last year's results.

Principal Yolanda Botham said that 25pc of grades were A*s, As or Bs, As-level results were 'exceptionally good' and 38 A-level and As-level courses had a 100pc pass rate.

She added: 'Our results have gone up and we are very proud, we are delighted.

'I am incredibly proud of our students and the work they and the teaching staff have done throughout the year.'

A-level student Martha Warnes, 18, from Lowestoft, got an A in maths and Bs in further maths and physics and is now off to study maths at the University of East Anglia.

She said: 'I have always enjoyed maths and find it very interesting. The college has been good and supportive.'

For Jennifer Stephens clinching an A in English language and Bs in maths and government and politics at Lowestoft sixth Form College has opened up a whole new world.

The 18-year-old from Lowestoft is off to the School of Oriental and African Studies in London to study Japanese and when she finishes her course she hopes to move to Japan and set up her own street fashion company.

Jennifer, who is half Thai, is a fan of Japanese culture and she likes dressing in the anime fashion craze from the country.

She can speak a small amount of Japanese already and hopes to be fluent by the time she finishes her course in London.

Describing her time at the sixth form college she said: 'It is a nice study environment.'

The college also celebrated a strong set of BTEC results, which saw Sophie Davis, 19, Bethany Littlewood, 20, and Jordan Barber, 18, all scooping distinctions in applied science.

At Sir John Leman School in Beccles, the pass rate for A*-C A-level results fell from 66pc last year to 60pc this time, while the number of A*-E passes also fell from 97pc to 94pc.

However, the pass rate at A*-B increased from 34pc last year to 37pc this year,

Freya Tooley, 18, of Yarrow Drive, Carlton Colville, was a high achiever, gaining three As in French, chemistry and biology to qualify for a place at UEA to study chemistry. She said: 'I was hoping for three As because that was my offer from the UEA, so I'm delighted to have achieved that.'

Mike Wilson, deputy headteacher, said: 'Yet again we have seen a further improvement in our A-level results with an increase in the percentage our out top A*-B grades.'

At Bungay High School, the pass rate for A*-C at A-level was 72pc, an increase of 8pc on last year's results, and the A*-E pass-rate was 97pc, an increase of 1pc on 12 months ago

Headteacher Sean O'Neill congratulated students and staff on the results which, he said, came at a time of upheaval for the school which moved its sixth form centre to a new site at Hillside Road East.

'We are delighted with the way that the staff and students worked so well together given the changes that have taken place this year after school reorganisation,' Mr O'Neill said.

At St Felix School in Reydon there were celebrations as its pass rate for A*-C rose to 86pc, an increase of 24pc compared to last year, while its A-E pass went up 1pc from 97pc to 98pc.

Headmistress Fran D'Alcorn said: 'We're really delighted with this year's results, which continue to confirm the very high standards our students achieve at St Felix.'

At the East Norfolk Sixth Form Collegs in Gorleston, a 'remarkable' set of A-level results was praised by principal, Daphne King.

Despite a slight drop in the A*-C pass rate, from 71.9pc last year to 70.8pc, the pass rate for A*-E remained at 98pc – with a 100pc pass rate in 23 A-level subjects and five BTEC courses.

Mrs King she was 'delighted' at the 'outstanding' results achieved by the college, which is largest centre for A-levels in Norfolk.

'Our results are all the more remarkable given that we are non selective and when our results are also measured against students' starting points in terms of value added,' she said.

'We are among the best value-added results nationally and this is a testament to our dedicated teaching staff and to the hard work of the students.'