PUPILS in Oxfordshire have bucked the national trend of complacent attitudes to A-Level exams this year, as universities make more unconditional offers.

Schools across the county reported record results yesterday as thousands of students opened their envelopes to end the anxious six-week wait.

Nationally, girls outperformed boys to achieve more top grades for 2018-19.

Girls narrowly took the lead for As and A*s, with 25.5 per cent bagging top grades compared with 25.4 per cent of boys.

Read again: A-Level results 2019 as it happened

The figures come in the first year that there were more entries for science subjects from girls than boys.

Leading up to results day 2019, fears were that students had less need to try hard many already having unconditional university offers.

But the ‘dedicated’ Oxfordshire cohort proved otherwise as many schools celebrated 'record-breaking' results.

Oxford Mail:

Among those celebrating was King Alfred’s Academy, Wantage, where the 63 per cent of A*-B grades matched its best-ever results back in 2013.

A school statement said: “Many teachers are concerned that with universities making many more unconditional offers, students receiving them lose motivation to work for top grades.

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“We have been delighted with the efforts of our students in this position however, and special mention must go to Callum Penman with A*A*A despite his unconditional offer to study International Law at Lancaster.”

The Wantage school had 129 pupils take exams, of which 28 per cent achieved A* to A, and a 99 per cent pass rate.

Staff at Wallingford School also spoke of a ‘record year’ as it was the school’s largest ever cohort of students sitting exams (121) achieving the school’s best ever results.

Among the students sitting exams was Ellis Lovett, 18, from Benson, who got an A in Music, a B in English Literature and a B in Sociology.

Oxford Mail:

Out of 121 students, 28 per cent got A*-A grades, and 100 per cent got A*-E.

Staff at Didcot Sixth Form said they were delighted with the results of students from Didcot Girls’ School and St Birinus School.

Out of 102 students, 20 per cent got A*-A grades, and 97 per cent got A*-E.

James Cross, director of the Sixth Form, said: “I’m delighted that we have students going to the top universities, into the world of work, and into apprenticeships.

“Behind all result are personal stories of adversity and challenge, sustained hard work and considerable academic potential.”

At Oxford’s Cherwell School, 99 per cent of students passed with A* to E grades - 35 per cent A* to A.

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Headteacher Chris Price was‘very pleased’, he said: “We are very pleased. This year group was our biggest ever consisting of 292 students and it is so rewarding to see such a large number achieve the success they deserve.

Star student Ellie Delves got three A*s and goes on to study theology at Cambridge University.

Cheney School celebrated ‘continued improvement’, which saw 98 per cent achieve A* to E grades – with 27 per cent taking A*s to As.

Oxford Mail:

The school, where 296 students sat exams, said it was particularly pleased with the performance in Computing, Economics and French.

Oxford Spires Academy headteacher Marianne Blake said this years A-Level students are ‘so much more than their results’.

This year around 70 students sat the exams with 11 per cent bagging A* to A grades, and 98 per cent A* to E.

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St Gregory the Great Catholic School also celebrated the hard work had paying off as most students are heading to their top choice university.

Of a cohort of 60 pupils, 12 per cent bagged A and A*, 26 per cent A* to B, and 94 per cent A* to E.

Two of the top students, head girl Carmen Powell and Stan Majewski managed to get an A in all of their subjects and both of them are going to study medicine at university.

Oxford High School was also among those celebrating the best set of results it has had since 2012.

It results included 77.1 per cent of pupils achieving A* to A, 92.2 per cent A* to B, and 100 per cent pass rate of the 56 entrants.

Deputy headteacher Peter Secker said: "These results are a huge testament to the hard work and sheer appetite for knowledge of this exceptional group."

In Bicester, students at The Cooper School managed to perform better than last year and are ‘over the moon’ with their grades.

Oxford Mail:

This year, 79 per cent of A-level students achieved A*- C compared to 68 per cent last year and half of the students achieved A*- B grades.

Deputy head students, Lucas Lamche and Tom Smythe, both opened their envelopes yesterday morning to find straight A*s.

Assistant headteacher Mark Doorley expressed his delight at the 100 per cent pass rate, he said: "In a world where instant gratification is offered and often delivered it is fantastic for students to see the real benefits of long-term perseverance, and the rewards that come with hard work.”

In Witney, Wood Green School continued its recent upward curve, with 27 per cent of 102 entries achieving A* and A grades - up from 17 per cent last year.

The school was placed in special measures by Ofsted in November 2013 but is now rated good, while next month it will welcome its largest cohort in several years.

Meanwhile, eight Henry Box School pupils achieved all A*s and As, of 78 sitting A-Levels.

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Those achieving A* to A was 22 per cent, and A* to E 99 per cent.

Carl Tysom, the school's head of sixth form, said: "The straight-A students worked hard and they obviously deserve everything.

"I'd also like to celebrate the students that have worked their socks off to get Bs, Cs and sometimes Ds."

Fitzharrys headteacher Jonathan Dennett said he was also 'delighted' with this year's results which saw 25 per cent of students get A* to A, and 54 per cent A* to B.

Trystan Forbes-Fortys was the first to pick up his results yesterday at 8am. His mother Valerie read out the grades (A*AA) to the nervous 17-year-old.

He had not checked online before coming in, declaring 'no spoilers', so had no idea if he had got onto his actuarial science course at Kent University.

Katie Drennan, 18, at nearby John Mason, meanwhile, burst into tears when she discovered she had got two A*s and an A.

Oxford Mail:

She will now go on to study economics at Sussex University.

Of the 54 pupils who collected their results at John Mason, which is part of sixth form partnership the Abingdon Consortium for Education along with Larkmead and Fitzharrys, 29 per cent got A* to A, 58 per cent A* to B and 97 per cent A* to E.