STUDENTS across Brecon and Radnorshire are celebrating success in their GCSE exams.

At Gwernyfed High School in Three Cocks Rachel Williams of Llandefalle was amazed at an unexpected hat-trick of A grades.

The 16-year-old said she had been taken aback when opening her results: "I was quite surprised because I didn’t think I was going to do as well in certain subjects. I had As in English literature, maths and Welsh I thought I’d get like Bs."

Her pal Emily Guinane, of Rhosgoch, was seeing stars after scooping nine A* grades, two As and a distinction in the advanced additional maths paper.

Emily, 16, said she was most pleased with her A* in physics: "I was expecting an A* because it’s what I care the most about and the science I enjoy the most."

Gwernyfed High achieved its best ever results with 79.5% of students gaining at least five GCSEs between grades A* to C including English and maths. That was a 12.2% improvement on pupils achieving the key benchmark compared to last year while it also smashed the school’s previous best of 70.3% achieved in 2014.

There were smiles too at Brecon High School were there was a 9% improvement in the overall percentage of pupils achieving the benchmark A* to C figure with maths and English/Welsh, which is now 74%.

The school also saw an 8% improvement in GCSE maths with the percentage of pupils achieving at least a C grade jumping to 77%.

Among those pleased with their maths results was Shona Higgins of Brecon, who as well as an A in maths, gained a further six As, two A* and one B.

She said: "I think I’m happiest with my A in maths, when we did the tests I only got a B. I put in lots of extra work."

Among the school’s top performers was Kate Taylor of Sennybridge who gained three A*, eight As and one B as as well as a distinction in additional maths.

"I’m most pleased with the distinction, it’s the first third of an A level."

At Llandrindod High School 69.3% achieved five or more grades at A* to C with maths and English.

Exceptional individual performances included Emma Davies’ amazing 13 A*/As, or equivalent qualifications and Daniel Binks and Ezra Tattersall with 12 A*/A, or equivalent qualifications.

Rhys Bennett, Rory Brown, Emyr Davies, Morgan Evans, Ryan Harley, Lauren Jones, Elisha Lee all achieved 11 A*/A or equivalent qualifications.

Domenica Andrews, Thomas Halstead and Daniel Holt all achieving 10 A*/A or equivalent qualifications.

Students at Ysgol Maesydderwen in Ystradgynlais celebrated 99% achieving five or more passes at grade C and above. The school said it was pleased no pupil will leave without a recognised qualification which it said it shows it is an inclusive school and reflects the excellent support provided by its learning centre.

Top performers included Joshua Griffiths with three A*, three As and five Bs, David Hopkins with two A*, four As and five Bs, Rebecca Hughes gained 7 As and two Bs, Cari Pritchard gained five A*, four As and two Bs, Ceri-Ann Williams had two As, seven Bs and a C and Adam Winkley got five A*, six A s and one B.The percentage of students at Builth Wells High School achieving five or more passes at A* to C including maths and English/Welsh, increased by 6% to 64.4%. No pupils have left the school without a single qualification.Top of the class was Elin Davies who gained nine A* and one A closely followed by Caitlin Power with eight A* and two As. Other top achievers who gained mostly A*, As and Bs were Hannah Mustafa, Ella Davies, Megan Lord, Edward Reeves, Mark Nixon, George Thomas and Callum Hill.Headteacher Ionwen Spowage said: "The students have performed really well and deserve their good results. We offer them our congratulations as they have worked tirelessly and have been rewarded due to their hard work and that of their teachers."Crickhowell High School has also celebrated its best ever GCSE results with 87% of pupils obtaining at least five passes, including English and maths, at grade C or above. That is an 8% increase on last year and 15% higher than in 2014.Head Jackie Parker said the school was proud all of its year 11 students are leaving school with recognised qualifications including a number of students who "vastly" outperformed their targets. She said: "These outstanding results reflect the significant improvement in attainment the school continues to make each year. This reflects excellent teaching and learning, the hard work and dedication of our students, staff and governors, combined with incredible support from parents and the wider community.Brecon and Radnorshire AM Kirsty Williams has congratulated students on their success.The Liberal Democrat, who is the Welsh education secretary, said: "Teachers and pupils can be proud that Wales has maintained our record pass rate. I will continue to focus on raising standards and ambitions for excellence across all our schools."At Brecon's independent school, Christ College nearly half of all grades, 44%, were A* or A and 69% of passes were grades A* to B.Head of Christ College, Emma Taylor said: "Not only do those gaining strings of A* and A grades deserve credit, but also those for whom gaining C grades in key subjects was a challenge; it is an equal triumph for them to achieve their goals and move successfully on to further study at A-level."