The wait for exam results is just as agonising whether you are a privileged boarder at one of Bristol's most expensive fee-charging schools or a teenager who has had to struggle to continue in further education.

These days, if you dare, you can log on to the university admissions service UCAS's website at a minute past midnight on results day and find out if you've got the place you wanted.

But you still have to open that envelope...

Thousands of students in the city and surrounding area shared that experience yesterday.

There were so many success stories across the area – and not only for those high-fliers who achieved straight As.

While there might be a debate nationally about the reasons for the rise in the pass rate for 27th successive year, teachers and students in Bristol agree that passing A-levels and their equivalents remains a major achievement.

Many students we spoke to were looking forward to going on to higher education and were confident this would help their employment prospects.

Christina Cunningham, deputy head of St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, had no truck with the notion of dumbing down or A-levels.

"I'd say that in 27 years of teaching I pick up the papers and they don't get any easier," she said.

The school achieved its best results, with the highest ever average A2 result and 57 per cent of passes at grades A to B.

Nearly half of all A-levels taken by students in Bristol's state schools and colleges were passed with one of the top two grades.

At Ashton Park School, the proportion of As and Bs rose from 36 per cent last year to 47 per cent.

North Bristol Post 16 Centre, St Brendan's Sixth Form College and City of Bristol College students also achieved a high number of top grades.

The two independent schools that became academies a year ago, Colston's Girls' School and Bristol Cathedral Choir School, each had a high proportion of top performers gaining straight As.

Councillor Clare Campion-Smith, Bristol City Council's cabinet member for young people, said: "Congratulations to all the young people whose hard work has resulted in these excellent results. Thanks are also due to their families, teachers and all the school staff who have supported and encouraged them... The current economic climate means this is a difficult time for young people to be starting their careers, so getting the right education and training is crucial."

Bristol's eight fee-charging schools all saw a high proportion of A-grade passes. Bristol Grammar School had a record year, with 63.6 per cent of all exam entries awarded a grade A.

Four out of five of the 138 students achieved at least one A and a nearly half of students gained three straight As, with two managing five As each.

Colston's School in Stapleton saw an A-B pass rate of 73 per cent, QEH boys' school in Clifton 82 per cent, Redland High School for Girls 75 per cent, Clifton College 76.2 per cent and Badminton girls' school 89 per cent.

The Red Maids' School saw a record number of A grade passes – 62.5 per cent – while Clifton High School was especially pleased that all maths passes were grade A.