A STUDENT from Turton High School has gained one of Britain's top-five GCSE marks in English literature.

Nina Cooke, aged 16, gained a total of six A*s and four As in her GCSE, gaining one of the best marks in the country in English literature out of 373,834 candidates.

But she said she was shocked by her success. She said: "I didn't expect it at all. I thought I was going to fail."

Nina intends to study biology, chemistry, maths and psychology at Turton sixth form and is considering a career in either medicine or veterinary science. She also intends to join the Army.

She offered a few tips to pupils keen to follow in her footsteps, advising them to work hard but to make sure they had a good balance of having fun too.

She said: "Just do your best and believe in yourself."

Meanwhile, fellow Turton pupil Andrew Nowell also distinguished himself with his collection of ten A* grades.

Andrew, aged 16, said: "I thought I had done reasonably well but never thought I would end up with 10 A*s. I am delighted with these results and hope to do well at A-level.

The number of Turton students reaching top grades was the highest for many years. Overall, five students recorded nine As or better, and 10 more earned eight As.

A total of 61 per cent of the year group achieved five A-to-C grades and almost 100 per cent were successful in one or more subjects.

Headteacher Frank Vigon said: "This is another outstanding year for Turton - a school with a national reputation - once again achieving results at a national level that confirmed its status as a successful and popular community school."