Dozens of students across Sussex are still waiting for their exam grades almost three weeks after results day.

Teachers blame a shortage in the number of markers, communication breakdowns and increased red tape, along with a rise in the number of exams taken.

At Richard Collyer College in Horsham around 50 pupils are still waiting for their AS-level results in photography and fine art from London exam board Edexcel.

Principal Michael Marchant said: "We had some delays with A-levels but they were sorted out fairly quickly. Some took three or four days so the students were on a bit of a cliffhanger.

"But the AS results are now two-and-a-half weeks late. We've got students starting back in the second-year sixth this week who don't know how they've done.

"Most take four AS levels and then take on three into the second year but this is making it difficult for them to decide which subjects to drop.

"We've had two teachers who have spent the past two weeks trying to chase the examining boards up."

Alan Jenkins, principal of Varndean College in Brighton, said students there had also been made to wait by Edexcel.

He said: "All the results are now in but there have been problems. An entire batch of results for English language and literature A and AS-levels went missing.

"We did not receive the official slips giving the breakdown of results until a week after the grades were published which caused problems when advising students whether to go for retakes or ask for the papers to be re-marked."

He added: "We need to look at this carefully because there is a disaster of Scottish proportions looming unless it's sorted out."

A spokesman for Brighton College in Eastern Road said: "On the whole we can add up the various module grades and work out the results from that. There's the odd one outstanding but we've got everything under control."

A spokeswoman for Edexcel said an administrative breakdown had led to delays in some results.

She said: "With Collyer's College we did not receive some of the modular marks from the school. We are in touch with the school and will be able to issue these results as soon as we get them.

"The school may well have sent us these results but sometimes there is a problem with the post or and electronic glitch.

"Our main concern is the students all receive the correct grades. It will be resolved as soon as we get the information."