SIXTH formers across North Devon collected their A-level results on Thursday, in a year which UCAS described as the most competitive for university admissions in a decade.

But despite the pressure for university places, pupils at Petroc, formerly North Devon College, maintained another good set of results, with many gaining that coveted university place for which they had worked.

One student who secured her university place was Juliet Baby. She attained four A*s in the science subjects and will now study medicine at Birmingham.

She said: "My parents were always confident I'd get A*s and I'm so excited because I worked really hard for it.

"This whole year has been so tense. And waiting for the results, and then collecting them, was the most tense moment of my life so far."

Juliet was part of more than a fifth of students at Petroc who gained A or A* grades.

The A* grades are a measure introduced this year to help the most competitive universities select candidates.

The pass rate at Petroc this year was almost 97.5 per cent, a similar rate to last year's exams.

Another student with cause for celebration was future Cambridge student Becky Jordan. Not only did she receive two A*s and two As, but her boyfriend Ed Rowe also received the three A*s he needed to attend Cambridge, which they will now attend together.

Ed said: "I thought I would get some A*s, but I did not expect to get three. I'm obviously really happy."

Rosie Willis, 19, from Landkey, was another student who attained a sweep of A*s, securing her passport to study maths at King's College London.

She said: "I did not expect that. With all the stuff about the lack of university places, it is always in the back of your head that you might not get there. I'm so pleased."

Another happy student was Kate Crang from Combe Martin, who received an unexpected C grade in English Language. And there were ten chemistry students who were thrilled with their A* grade, one of whom was Jo Devine from Barnstaple.

Jo even got full marks in two of her modules and will now study chemistry in Manchester.

She said of the new A* grades: "It is a good measure, because if you are confident about getting an A, it really pushes you and makes you work for something more."

Another smiling student was Sarah Raffe from Bradworthy, who needed three Bs to study law at UWE in Bristol. But she exceeded her own expectations by getting an A*, A and a B.

She said: "I worked really hard but I never thought I would get this. I didn't even know if I would get the Bs.

"I asked if I had picked up the right envelope because I was convinced they could not be mine."

Huw Davies, Petroc's director for curriculum and innovation, said: "This is another great year of results and I'd like to congratulate all our students on their success.

"In particular, it looks like we have a very high number of A* and A grades, which is a reflection of some real hard graft, determination and talent.

"I'd like to thank our staff for the boundless energy they put in every year and also the students' families and friends, without whom none of these extraordinary achievements would be possible."