CONGRATULATIONS were in order for hundreds of GSCE students across Southampton who found out their results yesterday.

The number of pupils gaining the benchmark of five or more GCSE grades A* to C rose by one per cent to 46 per cent - an all time record.

Nationally the overall A* to G pass rate remained the same as last year at 97.6 per cent.

In line with the national trend boys are narrowing the gender gap in achievement, in many cases improving their results more than girls.

However, the wait continued for some schools yet to receive outstanding results from the beleaguered exam board Edexcel.

St Anne's Convent School in Rockstone Place was yesterday still waiting for some results in religious education and science but managed to record a preliminary five or more top passes figure of 78 per cent.

Head teacher Catherine Hargaden said: "By and large we are very pleased to have made improvements across the board. I am disappointed we have not got all the modular results in science, but hopefully that will be resolved quickly."

Teenagers at Bitterne Park School queued up in the school hall to collect their brown envelopes before celebrating, or in a few cases commiserating with friends.

The school improved on its performance for the third year running with 59 per cent of pupils gaining five or more top grades.

Head teacher Susan Trigger said: "It's the third year of marching ahead of our previous records. Every year group can be called a record breaker."

The school, which has performing arts specialist status, performed particularly well in dance, drama and music as well as the core subjects of maths, English and science.

Mrs Trigger said the gender gap in performance among the 257 students who sat the exams had narrowed.

At Woodlands Community School, where boys usually perform better than girls, results showed that this year girls came out top.

But head teacher Richard Martin said the gender gap was nominalwith strong performances all round in English, maths and science.

Redbridge Community School pupils also consolidated last year's big rise in top grade passes with 46 per cent this year getting five or more.

Head teacher Richard Schofield said he was "tremendously pleased." Five top performing students managed to score 56 high grades between them, of which 26 were A or A*.

SUCCESS AT A GLANCE:

Five or more A* to C pass rate average in

Southampton: 46 per cent

Bellemoor School: unavailable

Bitterne Park School: 59 per cent

Cantell School: 37 per cent

Chamberlayne Park School: unavailable

Millbrook Community School: 20 per cent

Oaklands Community School: 37 per cent

Redbridge Community School: 46 per cent

Regents' Park Girls' School: unavailable

Sholing Technology College: 41 per cent

St Anne's Convent School: 78 per cent

St George's Catholic School for Boys: unavailable

Weston Park Boys' School: 30 per cent

Woodlands Community School: 36 per cent

Woolston School: unavailable