Over all pass rates on the up with 90pc of students passing

There were celebrations for students at King's Lynn Academy as they collected their GCSE results.

The teenagers were handed their envelopes at the College of West Anglia as a �10m building project continues at the Academy ready for the new term.

Stefanie Lo, 16, was overjoyed when she opened her envelope and discovered she had achieved a total of nine A* and six As in her results.

She will be studying A levels in maths, chemistry, history and Spanish at the King Edward VII school (KES) in Lynn from next month.

Karolina Luksyte, 16, only arrived in this country at the age of 11 from her native Lithuania and studied hard to make sure the language barrier did not hold her back.

She passed eight GCSEs, including a B in English, and will be studying her A levels at the Academy.

'When I first arrived I had no English really and it was difficult, but it's not a problem now and I am pleased with my results,' she said.

Karolina came to the UK with her parents Egle and Zidrunas and her brother, Modestas, 12 is a student at KES.

Academy principal Craig Morrison said it had been a 'very strong' performance and he was pleased with the results.

But, in line with many schools, the English GCSE result had caused concern and some pupils had received lower than expected grades in the subject.

'We are delighted with the achievements of our students this year. Almost all of our students have achieved 5 good GCSE passes or equivalent, a vast improvement on previous years. We are totally committed to continued improvement and our maths and IT GCSE results and the very positive exam results released today for students entering Year 11 are testament to the commitment of our staff and students,' he said.