Students in West Somerset are this morning discovering the rewards of two years of hard study as GCSE results were being announced. Tell us how you did! Email [email protected] or go to our Facebook page.

There were joyous scenes at the West Somerset College, Minehead, and Kingsmead School, Wiveliscombe, where the teenagers arrived early to await the unveiling moment.

They were the first class to sit exams for two years because of the coronavirus pandemic, during which time grades were awarded via teacher assessments, leading to what has been referred to as ‘grade inflation’.

Consequently, overall grades were expected to be somewhat lower in 2022 although examiners were asked to mark papers more leniently this year to compensate for the disrupted learning the students received during the pandemic.

In some cases, grade boundaries may have been relaxed for the class of 2022 and lower marks than usual needed for a particular grade.

It follows a fall nationally in the number of top grades for A-level students who received their results last week.