Manchester King David pupil Ben Lewis achieved four A-star grades to secure his place to study natural sciences at Jesus College, Cambridge.

"I don't think it has really sunk in yet," said the 18-year-old.

"I'm absolutely gobsmacked. I thought I'd done fairly well but it's one of those things you can never be 100 per cent sure about. To get straight A-stars is a surprise."

Ben was nervous before collecting his results. "I especially thought I might have been on the borderline with my physics paper," he said. He was off to London to celebrate with friends before turning his focus to university. "I'm excited about the new challenge."