Jubilant students were today toasting years of blood, sweat and tears with an impressive crop of A-level results.

Cheers went up at south Essex schools as hundreds of teenagers notched up first-class grades in the gold-standard exams, guaranteeing a coveted place at university or college.

Some impressive A-level performances came to light today as the all-important slips of paper were collected from schools.

Essex, considered the lucky county for Lottery winners, will show it can also come up with the academic goods as at least two schools were expected to produce candidates who have gained five As or more.

Staff and pupils at Westcliff High School for Girls were toasting a 100 per cent pass rate - every pupil who took exams received at least one grade A to E.

Around 76 per cent of pupils achieved an A or B grade, teachers said today (Thursday).

The average number of A-level points per student - with ten points being awarded for an A grade - was a staggering 25.5.

Eighteen-year-old Anna Stovick won high praise after she achieved four A grades in maths, physics, chemistry and biology and a B in general studies - totalling a massive 48 points.

Six other students received straight A grades in their exams. Delighted headteacher Pat Elliott said today: "We are very pleased this year.

"There were quite a lot of people taking the exams and we felt they worked very hard right up until the end and it shows in the results."

At Southend-based South East Essex College, four students excelled themselves.

Hannah Dodgson, 18, of Fleetwood Avenue, Westcliff, Sarah Groom, 19, of Beauchamps Drive, Wickford, Elspeth Martin, 18, of Edward Close, Rochford and Runa Uddin, 19, of Ramuz Drive, Westcliff, all scored 34 points, guaranteeing a place in higher education.

Pupils at King John School in Shipwrights Drive, Thundersley, excelled themselves achieving the best results the school has ever had.

Around 98 per cent of students gained passes ranging from A to E while 52 per cent scooped A and B grades.

Delighted - Elspeth Martin, Aimee Goodrich, Sarah Groom, Runa Uddin, Hannah Dodgson and Adam Osborne celebrate at South East Essex College in Southend today

Picture: STEPHEN LLOYD

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.