Top students greet examination results with glee

The summer exam results season drew to a close yesterday as hundreds of English Schools Foundation and international school students found out how they fared in British GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education exams).

Cheers and shrieks of joy were the order of the day as another year of record results meant tears of disappointment were few and far between.

Roughly 1,000 students sat the exams - the equivalent in England and Wales of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education - at the five ESF secondary schools. Of the 8,000 papers sat, 54.4 per cent received the top two grades, A or A*.

The scene at West Island School, in Pok Fu Lam, was tense early yesterday as 160 students crammed into a common room. But for most students, nerves gave way to relief when results were handed out and classmates gave one another congratulatory hugs.

'This is the biggest group of Year 11 students we have ever had, and it is also our biggest year in terms of the number of A*s,' said West Island principal Jane Foxcroft.

She said the exams were important as a motivational tool for students but also enabled the school to take a reliable snapshot of their performance.

'In terms of looking after our students and making sure they are ready to progress to the next stage, these exams are vital,' Ms Foxcroft said.