YOUNG people across Bolton will be celebrating tonight ­— as schools hailed their superstar pupils!

Many schools reported an increase in the number of top grades being awarded ­— bucking the national trend.

And this year, there were many inspirational stories of individual achievement against the odds.

Director of People, Bernie Brown, said: "Congratulations to all our A-level students who have put in a lot of hard work, not just in the last two years, but also at every Key Stage. They should be proud of their achievements.

"I’m particularly pleased that the number of students achieving A* to E grades is in line with the national average at 98 per cent.

"In line with the national trend, we have seen a drop in the number of top grades being awarded.

"Our schools and colleges continue to work hard to drive up standards and our students have plenty to celebrate with these results. I’d like to wish them well for the future."

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Christine Wild, added: “Once again, Bolton’s young people have done us proud with their achievements in this year’s exam results.

“I’m delighted to see so many students passing their chosen subjects.

“This success is a direct result of the hard work and commitment of the students, their families and their teachers.

“Whether they take up an apprenticeship, a vocational course or go on to university, I’d like to wish all our students the very best of luck on their next step.”

Nationally, the proportion of students awarded an A grade or higher was the lowest for more than a decade.

Girls narrowly clawed back the lead from boys in terms of A* and A grades

For the first time, there were more entries for A-level science subjects from girls than from boys.

In total, 25.5% of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer, the

lowest proportion since 2007 when it was 25.3 per cent.

Girls are back in front in terms of top grades, with 25.5 per cent of entries handed at least an A, compared with 25.4 per cent of boys - a gap of 0.1

percentage points.

But on A* grades alone, boys performed better, with 8.2 per cent of entries getting the highest result, compared with 7.5 per cent of girls’ entries.