'The culmination of a lot of hard work': Joy, relief and worry as students get results

"This is the culmination of a lot of hard work," admits student Lily-Rose Williamson. "The sacrifices have paid off."

She was one of thousands of teenagers who received their A-level, Btec and T-level results on Thursday, after a nerve-wracking wait for students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A record number of 18-year-olds got into their first choice of university this year - even if they missed their grades - while boys outperformed girls for the top A-level grades for the first time since 2018.

As pupils picked up their results up and down the country, they chatted to BBC reporters about how they'd fared, what they hoped to do next - and how they were planning to celebrate.

With three A*s in A-level maths, biology, and chemistry under her belt, Lily-Rose was ready for a big night out in Liverpool.

"I'm that really annoying person who really likes school," she joked.

The aspiring surgeon secured her place to study medicine at the University of Oxford next year, fulfilling a dream she's had since she was 12.

For Olivia Melville, a different kind of celebration was on the cards: "Going to Nando's."

The 18-year old from Telford was delighted with a distinction in her health T-level - and said she'd had a "really good feeling" about her results.

T-levels - vocational qualifications for 16-19-year-olds in England - grew in popularity this year, and Olivia said she'd had a "really good feeling" about her results.

With her distinction in tow, she planned to get onto a university midwifery course through clearing - a process run by The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) matching students with university and college courses which still have spaces.

Others had mixed feelings about their results - and the prospect of their next steps - including Shaheer Shafqat and Heron Balisane from Manchester.

"I just went to get it over with, just straight onto my emails," said Shaheer.

He said he "wasn't disappointed" but "wasn't too happy" with his results in A-level media and Btecs in applied psychology and computing.

But he still secured his first-choice place, studying cyber security at Manchester Metropolitan University.

"That's all that matters," he said.

Heron likewise said he so nervous he could "barely sleep" on Wednesday night: "I was panicking."

He said he was "expecting a bit more" from his results, but had still secured a place at the University of Greater Manchester to study law.

Both students said they were expecting to work part-time jobs during university.

"The living costs are pretty high aren't they," remarked Shaheer. "It's worrisome."

For others, the pressure was off - with jobs and apprenticeships secured before the big day - including Harry McClelland.

The pupil from Bangor, Northern Ireland is set to start an electronics apprenticeship with Red Bull's Formula 1 team in September.

"I knew I had the place before the exams so I could relax a bit more," he said, after receiving two As and a C.

"I don't know who will let me loose on an F1 car," he said.

"Time to celebrate - and watch the F1 movie."

The day was a family affair for many - including identical twins Adrian and Łukasz Koman from south Wales.

The brothers insisted there was no competition in their house and celebrated their near-identical grades in the same science subjects - two A*s and one A for Adrian, and one A* and two As for Lukasz.

They said they were excited to start new chapters, heading from Newport to the universities of Bristol and Bath.

Łukasz said: "We spend a lot of time together since we've shared the same room for all our lives pretty much.

"It's nice to go out there and be a bit more individual."

Meanwhile, Megan from Cornwall brought her entire family with her to collect her results.

She said she "burst out crying" when she saw an A* and two As staring back at her - and her mum said she was "so pleased".

But her brother couldn't shy away from some friendly sibling rivalry.

He joked: "Unfortunately, she beat me."

Others said the support of family and friends along the way had been crucial, including Meghan Cotty from Caerphilly.

She had balanced her studies alongside helping to care for her brother, who has learning difficulties, and working part-time - and today received two A*s and a B.

Looking ahead, she was excited to head off to the University of Birmingham to study law.

"It's taken a lot of work and patience but I'm so glad it paid off," she said.