Well done again to the teenagers of Brighton and Hove whose A-level performances have improved for the 19th year running.

Staff and students at St Mary's Hall School in Brighton are celebrating record results. The pass rate was 99 per cent, with 61 per cent of the grades As and Bs.

Pass rates at Hove Park School in Nevill Road, Hove, are expected to soar comfortably above 90 per cent. Six pupils achieved straight As in all their subjects.

The clever old sticks have worked hard and now deserve time to play hard before starting at university, taking a gap year or beginning full-time jobs.

After two years of tests, coursework and mock exams, a scrap of paper bearing those magic letters is all that stands between the students and their choices for the future.

While opening the results envelope is always a tense experience, even those teenagers who did not do as well as expected have the benefit of the clearing system to help them find a place at university.

Every year we are told by people who sat them years ago - and maybe didn't do quite so well - that exams are getting easier. But we should give credit where credit is due and praise the class of 2002 for their efforts. Good luck to them all.