A newly-qualified Norfolk accountant is on top of the world, after recording the highest global score for her final set of professional exams.

Eastern Daily Press: Larking Gowen accountant Lauren Day has come top out of a worldwide class of 5,000 in her professional accountancy exams. Picture: Nick Butcher.Larking Gowen accountant Lauren Day has come top out of a worldwide class of 5,000 in her professional accountancy exams. Picture: Nick Butcher. (Image: �archant2017)

Lauren Day has been awarded the ACCA Gold Medal by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants thanks to an aggregate score of 416 out of 500 left her top of a class of 5,000.

For the 23-year-old, who joined the Diss office of chartered accountant Larking Gowen when she left Wymondham High Academy Sixth Form, the award marks a triumphant end to a five-year schedule of accountancy qualification exams.

She said she was 'stunned' to receive a congratulatory email from the ACCA's director of learning, which described her performance as outstanding and informed her that her marks were the highest achieved anywhere in the world.

'It took a little while to understand exactly what the letter was saying,' she said. 'Then I let out a shout that had my family wondering what was wrong. After that we cracked open a bottle of bubbly.'

To gain her final qualification, Miss Day had to pass 20 exams over four-and-a-half years.

'I always start panicking two or three weeks before an exam because I don't think I know enough,' she said. 'I'm glad that's behind me now.'

Larking Gowen partner Grant Pilcher, who has mentored Miss Day throughout her time at the firm, said: 'Since the day she began with us Lauren has been a model member of staff.

'You only have to tell her something once and she has got it. She is a very bright young lady – and more than that, she invests so much application in everything she does. She thoroughly deserves the gold medal.'

ACCA is a global body for professional accountants, supporting 480,000 students in 178 countries. A spokesman said Miss Day's aggregate mark in the P (professional) level exams were an 'amazing achievement'.

It earns her the title of Top Affiliate from the December 2016 exam session and an award of £500, and she also received a celebration lunch and £150 in gift vouchers from learning provider Kaplan Financial.