THE hard work and hours of studying paid off for students across West Somerset on Tuesday when they received their eagerly anticipated GCSE results.

Both the the West Somerset Community College in Minehead and Kingsmead Community School in Wiveliscombe reported record breaking results, with a record number of college students gaining five or more A* to C grades.

Some 70 per cent of pupils at the college attained five or more passes at A* to C grades, with 77 per cent of students at Kingsmead hitting the five or more A* to C mark.

The figures compare favourably with the national average, where the overall A* to C grades pass rate was 69.1 per cent.

At the community college, 79 per cent of all grades achieved were at A* to C level, with a total of 461 passes at A* and A level - 42 more than last year.

A dozen students achieved eight or more A* and A grades, with seven young people gaining ten or more.

Among the outstanding individual achievements, were West Somerset Community College students George Howes with 12 A* and A grades and Alex Howes, Rebecca Jackson-Clarke and Abigail Munson with 11 A* and A passes.

Katherine Bigwood, Eliza-Mae Bryant and Agatha Gawlowska all gained ten A* and A grades, while Kieran Boulton and Rhiannon Broome achieved nine A* and As and Rachel Langbein, Robin Lewis and Maddie Wells gained eight A* and A grade passes.

Some 86 per cent of students at the college achieved the equivalent of two or more A*-C grades in science, while at Kingsmead, 93 per cent gained at least one GCSE grade at A*-C in a modern language - either French, German or Spanish.

At Kingsmead, 97 per cent of students gained at least one GCSE at A to G grade, while 67 per cent gained five A* to C grades in subjects which included English and maths.

Overall, 99 per cent of Kingsmead students achieved at least one pass at A to G level.

Kingsmead student Jack Humphries was among the top performers with 11 A* and two A grades, while Andrew Heard gained 11 A* and one A grade.

Other high achievers included Rachael Bashford with six A* and six A grades and Lily Tolland and Joe Bright, each with five A* and five A passes.

Sam Summers achieved 11 A* and A passes, Flinn McManus, Willow Pring and Jessica Robinson each gained nine A* and A passes, while Lucy Stockton achieved eight A* and A grade passes.

Ollie Skeavington, Sam Pearson and Chris Angle gained seven A* and A passes and Holly Clapp and Amy Winterson gained six A* and A grade passes each.

Nick Swann, West Somerset Community College principal, said he was delighted so many year 11 students had performed to such a high level.

He said: "There were some stunning individual achievements. 215 students achieved five or more A*-C grades, 70 per cent of the year group.

"This sets a new college record and is a significant increase on the previous best of 61.5 per cent in 2006.

"The 12 students who gained eight or more A* and A grades are exceptionally able young people.

"These students and many of their peers in the year group are now set to achieve top grades at Advanced Levels, opening the door to top university courses in 2012.

"I am equally pleased pleased with those students who, whilst not attaining the very top grades, have made remarkable progress during their time at the college."

He said the college's large-scale success was down to the hard work and commitment of students, excellent teaching and support from parents and carers.

Kingsmead headteacher Geoff Tinker was equally delighted: "These results reflect once again the amount of hard work put in by the students and staff, superbly supported by parents, governors and friends of the school.

"This group of young people should be very proud of their accomplishments and we know they will go on to even greater success in the future.

"Kingsmead remains committed to providing all students with high quality learning experiences that prepare them fully for the rigours of not only GCSEs but further study and learning.

"We are very proud of the educational opportunities provided by the school and our success in GCSEs and other examinations reflects the standards that are set by all involved in Kingsmead."

He said the results had bettered the challenging targets set for the year group and put Kingsmead well inside the band of the top 20 per cent of similar schools across the country.