SIXTH formers across the country have celebrated another bumper year for A-Level results with a further rise in those pupils achieving grades A to E.

At national level the results published today have been hailed as "magnificent" by both the Government and examiners which saw the pass rate rise for the 18th consecutive year.

Figures reveal that a recent national trend for girls to achieve higher marks than boys has been repeated this year - although the gap between the two has narrowed slightly on previous years.

Provisional figures released by the Joint Council for General Qualifications show a pass rate of 89.9 per cent nationally, an increase of 0.7 per cent on last year's figures.

In Bolton, early indications suggest that the national success story could be repeated.

Top flight Bolton School Boys' Division has reported a 98.8 per cent pass rate with 74.2 per cent of candidates achieving A and B grades.

Rivington and Blackrod head John Baumber, who is also deputy chair of the Bolton headteachers' group said that the results looked favourable.

"In terms of our students it seems that at this stage they have exceeded their own expectations overall," he said.

"There seems to be a marginal difference between girls and boys with girls on average performing half a grade higher than boys," he said. "But A-Levels are not really were this gender difference is most felt."

And Mr Baumber hit out at critics who claimed the exams have been dumbed down saying the tests were every bit as demanding today as they were 30 years ago.

He said: "It makes me more cross each year to hear people rubbishing the exam system in this way. We are are extremely proud of our students for coping so well."

"The expectations are as high today as at any time I have seen in 30 years of teaching."

Nationally there has also been a high take-up for the new AS-Level qualification despite controversy that its introduction over the summer had been "shambolic".

The Joint Council for General Qualifications said the results for the qualification which lies halfway between GCSE and A-Level showed student participation was up by nearly a quarter, while candidates were doing a broad range of subjects.

One AS-level student in five decided against taking up, or "cashing in" their grades this summer, preferring to wait for the outcome of A-Levels in 2002.

The idea was to ensure students did a broader range of subjects than was traditional under the old regime.

But many schools and pupils in England and Wales complained of multiple exam timetable clashes, syllabuses that were inconsistent in terms of difficulty and a massively-increased overall workload.

Education minister Estelle Morris has ordered a review of the AS-Level system and Mr Baumber welcomed this.

"It is important to reduce the pressure on students," he said. "Even though they are half an A Level teachers will also teach to the highest possible standards so this year we have seen people taking five AS Levels but being taught to full A Level standard in all subjects."

He added: "The Government are proposing just one exam per subject in subsequent years and I think this is a step forward."