Celebrations were under way across the county today for the scores of students who were delighted to discover they had made the grade at A-Level.

Many schools achieved outstanding results with a rise in the number earning the top grades.

Results Table

In Witney, headteacher Rod Walker went out on an A-Level high with a record number of students at Henry Box School achieving three straight A grades.

Mr Walker, who is retiring after 11 years at the school, said: "I'm really pleased to be leaving on such a high note.

"Although we had our best A-Level results ever two years ago, this has been a great year group with some top students."

Fifteen teenagers gained three straight A grades, including both headboy Dan Surman and headgirl Rachel Taylor.

Mr Surman, who is to study computer science at Oxford's Oriel College, said: "People who say A-Levels are getting easier should try and sit them. There's a lot of work gone into this success."

A total of 109 students took A-Levels - the school's highest number - and more than 80 per cent gained A, B or C grades.

At Didcot Sixth Forms, which comprises Didcot Girls School and St Birinus, students were also smiling about their record-breaking results.

Top performers included 18-year-old Nick Madani, one of four students who secured Oxbridge places, along with James Baker, Louisa Greenhalgh and Naomi Nickerson.

Nick Madani achieved As in maths, further maths and physics and will study maths and statistics at Oxford in September.

He said: "I was quite confident because I had done my best but I'm really glad all my hard work paid off."

Headteacher Chris Bryan said: "Not only is this one of the largest numbers of students we have entered for A-Levels but 51 per cent of the grades were A or B, up five per cent from last year.

"It demonstrates the hard work done by our students and the outstanding commitment of their teachers.

In Wantage, King Alfred's principal Nick Young said he was "delighted" with his college's performance.

It had two students in the top five nationally for A-Level results in biology and 10 Oxbridge offers.

He said: "With results like these, anyone wanting to go into higher education has the qualifications to do so.

"The results were terrific with 73 per cent getting A to C grades and 46 per cent getting As and Bs."

Jack Cullis and Benjamin Reeve were in the top five students nationally who took biology.

Wallingford School was pleased to see its results on the increase.

Last year, 46 per cent of pupils achieved A and B grades, which rose to 57 per cent this year.

Headteacher Wyll Willis said: "This is a great tribute to both the staff and the students - they have worked very hard to achieve these results."

High flyers included Joe Ebbs who, with three As, is going to Nottingham to study medicine in September.

Fellow student Robert Digweed will be joining him there, but to study music. He earned A-grades in history, music, product design and art.

He said: "I'm really pleased with the results. I was offered Cambridge but decided it wasn't for me and elected to go to Nottingham."

Students at Bicester Community College felt all their hard work paid off with an overall pass rate of 98 per cent - and 42 per cent gaining A to C grades.

Top of the class was Chloe Benjamin-Smith,cor who gained A grades in biology, chemistry and history, and a B in physics, as well as excellent AS results in psychology and critical thinking.

The 18-year-old is now looking forward to studying medicine at St George's University of London in September.

She said: "I really wanted my results to reflect all the hard work and effort that I have put in during the past two years and they do.

"It's a big relief and now I can relax before going off to study medicine for five years."

Headteacher Cynthia Bartlett said: "Once again, sixth formers have achieved some very good results which have enabled them to take up the offers of places on the university courses they have chosen."

In Abingdon, the 14-19 Partnership, which includes Abingdon and Witney College, John Mason, Larkmead and Fitzharrys schools, the overall pass rate was 95 per cent with 65 per cent of pupils earning A to C grades.

There was a record 16 students who achieved straight As.

Susan Tranter, chairman of the partnership, said: "These results are testament to increasingly high quality education that is being offered to the Abingdon community.

"It is wonderful when the hard work of students and their teachers results in excellent exam grades."