By Kelly Eve Education reporter

Last updated 15:57, Tuesday, 26 August 2008

IT WAS double delight for at least four sets of twins who picked up their GSCE results yesterday, in a record year for Cumbrian schools.

Success: Twins Carys (L) and Jessica Wilkinson from Carlisle gained 22 GCSEs between them at Trinity School

Provisional figures from the local education authority, from 30 of its 41 secondary schools, show that 65.1 per cent of students got five top GCSEs with A*-C grades, a figure up six per cent on last year.

And the figure for those getting five top results including English and maths is up from 45.7 per cent to 51.2 per cent.

In Carlisle, there was delight for Rebekah and Sarah Briggs at St Aidan’s School as they tore open their brown envelopes. Each girl got identical A*s in PE.

Friend Max Conway, who wants to be a lawyer, got full marks in his two IT papers and celebrated after getting 7A*s, three As and a B.

At nearby Trinity School, Carys and Jessica Wilkinson celebrated after discovering they had both done much better than expected, each getting at least 10 top passes.

Fellow Trinity teenagers Anni and Suzi Styth opened their results together before Suzi rushed back to her job as a hairdresser at La Moda. She began a training course with RWP Training at the English Street salon immediately after sitting her exams earlier this year.

Anni, 16, expects to go into sixth form but for now is allowing her success of getting eight GCSEs sink in.

At Morton School, more than 40 per cent of students got five or more top GCSEs.

And in Dalston, students at Caldew School celebrated getting 25 per cent more A* grades than last year – around 120 in all.

Andy Abernethy, executive head of the two schools, said: “This year Caldew’s brightest pupils achieved a fantastic 25 per cent more A* grades compared to last year.

“They accumulated about 120 between them which is the highest number we have had since the top grade was extended a few years ago.

“Three pupils who made an especially big contribution to this total are Samantha Cawley, Zoe Pearson and Alex Williams who earned all grade A* or A results this summer and between them notched up 24 A* grades.

“We are delighted for them, but also for the many pupils who came close to matching their achievement and for those who whilst not reaching these heights, still achieved their personal best.”

Speaking about Morton’s successes, he added: “We are quietly pleased that this year’s students have done really well given their starting point.

“Their excellent progress results from their hard work, and the efforts of the staff here, and I think show that the improvements we have started at Morton have taken root. This bodes really well for the future.

“We have not quite reached the heady heights of last year’s figures when over 50 per cent achieved the higher grades threshold, but our score of mid-forty percent this year is in excess of the very ambitious target we set ourselves.”

Head boy Ben Murray clinched several A* and A grades and Kimberley Hetherington overcame sight impairment to gain some excellent results.

There were celebrations too in Longtown as students picked up results in the function room of the Graham Arms Hotel following the closure of Lochinvar School in July. They included twin brothers Ryan and Aaron Whitfield, of Chapelknowe.

More than 70 per cent of pupils at William Howard School in Brampton got five or more top results.

Nelson Thomlinson School recorded its best results ever, 73.9 per cent getting five or more A*-Cs.

The Wigton school was not alone with North Cumbria Technology College (52 per cent), St Aidan’s (48 per cent) and Newman (over 50 per cent) in Carlisle; Appleby Grammar School; Beacon Hill School in Aspatria (51 per cent) and Solway Community Technology College in Silloth all recording their best results ever.

At Austin Friars in Carlisle, a record number – 93 per cent – of students picked up A*s in biology, physics or chemistry. The other seven per cent got A grades.

In Eden, 74 per cent of students in the area’s five local secondary schools got five top GCSEs.

Ullswater Community College said it was its fifth annual record-breaking set of GCSE results.