"I'm so happy!" says one talented Hitchin pupil who passed her GCSE's with flying colours.

With hundred's of thousands of Year 11's fretting about their GCSE exam results after the A-Level debacle last week, Hitchin's star pupils woke up to excellent grades on Thursday morning.

It can be a nerve-wracking process at the best of times, let alone in 2020 with all the attendant issues that have blighted this year's A-Level results.

But this year is shaping up to be record-breaking as teachers' marks have seen top grades in England shoot up.

GCSE students across the country including Hitchin have achieved a record-breaking set of results, with a rise in the number of top marks given to them after exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis.

More than a quarter of pupils - 25.9 per cent - were awarded grade 7 or higher - equivalent to an A or A* under the old system - up from 20.7 per cent last summer.

Pass rates are also up across the board - with the amount of students getting grade 4 or above rising by 13 per cent to 76 per cent year-on-year.

So a big well done to all pupils who got what they wanted - none more so than the Priory School's Evelyn Silver – who passed all her exams and is set for a bright future!

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Evelyn got nine GCSE's at C grade and above including two A's in History and Spanish and will now go on to study A-Levels.

The clever 16-year-old told Hitchin Nub News: "I'm so delighted. I can't believe it.

"I'm so happy because I thought I'd fail – and I didn't."

Proud mum Faye Silver added: "I'm so proud – she has worked so hard. I'm really pleased for her."