Joanne Mulholland, a 56-year-old nurse from Gateshead, has expressed her delight after passing her maths GCSE. This achievement comes 40 years after she last attempted her maths O-level in 1987, failing three times.
Despite having become a qualified nurse and earning a master's degree, Ms Mulholland decided to pursue the maths qualification again, attending evening classes. She received a passing mark of 4 on Thursday morning.
Her success coincides with figures showing a record gap in top GCSE grades between London and the North East. This year, 28.6% of entries in London received a grade 7 or above, compared to 17.7% in the North East. This 10.9 percentage point difference is the largest since data collection began in 2010.
Elsewhere, students in County Durham celebrated their results. Aspiring dancer Finn, 16, passed all his exams and will attend dance college. Ethan, also 16, passed everything and has started an apprenticeship in classic cars.
Jackie Lanagan, Vice Principal at East Durham College, noted the increasing popularity of apprenticeships as a valuable alternative to academic routes, highlighting their role in providing experience employers seek.