Joel Camara is going to Pembroke College Cambridge to study a Masters in engineering after gaining A*s in maths, further maths, physics and chemistry.

He said: ‘The secret to success is to make sure you are on top of your work. In Year 12 we did all the hard work in the beginning so it is about working consistently. You have to work from the beginning because in Year 12 you never would have predicted lockdown. I am most pleased with my chemistry result.

I heard that Pembroke was a very good engineering college and I liked it in the open day tour. I am not sure what I want to do eventually, the goal was to go into Formula 1, but now with engineering there is such a lot of scope where it can take you, I will try and get internships in the holidays which would make it easier to get a job. I wanted to do engineering as I like maths and physics and so this is a great combination of both.’

Rajan Khunti will be studying maths at Durham after achieving A* in biology, maths and chemistry and an A in further maths.

He said: ‘Maths has always been the subject I have been most passionate about. There are so many elements and things to explore, it is like a different language and there is so much to learn from the subject. There are so many applications and it should set me up for the future in terms of jobs.

‘Durham has got a really good maths reputation and the city is really beautiful. It has a collegiate system and there is a good university atmosphere. My favourite subject was further maths but I am really pleased about my A* in chemistry because that was the hardest subject. I will miss Brooke Weston Academy, I have spent a lot of my time here and have got a lot of good memories.’

Abbie Wallace achieved an A* in maths and As in biology and further maths. She is going to Swansea to study marine biology with a year abroad.

She said: ‘I started diving when I was 10 and I got into conservation from that. I knew straight away what I wanted to do and it has not really changed since. I dive at quarries in the UK, but it is good to get the experience as I will be able to use that in a professional capacity in the future.

‘I chose Swansea as it is practical-based. They have their own research boat and it is a really good department, right opposite the beach. Marine biology is a field that needs a lot of work with climate change and environmental issues which is why it is really important at the moment. There is so much you can do with it, it is varied. It is such a passion driven career. I didn’t expect these results so I was really pleased. We didn’t know what to expect but with grades like that I wasn’t disappointed!

‘I am happy with all my results but further maths was definitely a journey! Mrs Van Wyk was my teacher and the only reason I carried on with it, she is one of the best teachers I have ever had! Her and Rajan were pretty much the only reasons I got through, they were constantly pushing me to do it. I knew it was going to be the most academically challenging thing I had done! I set out to get an A in it at the start of Year 12 and it has paid off!’