A PONTELAND High School pupil said she is delighted after achieving grade 9s across the board.

Isla Cardno got the top grade available in all her GCSE subjects.

The grading system in England is from 9 to 1, with 9 the highest.

A 4 is broadly equivalent to a C grade, and a 7 is broadly equivalent to an A.

Isla will now continue at the school's sixth form and study maths and science subjects for her A-Levels.

READ MORE: PICTURES: Ponteland High School pupils celebrate GCSE results

In the North East, 22.4 per cent of GCSE entries this year were awarded the top grades (7/A or above).

This is down from 24.5 per cent in 2021, but up from 16.4 per cent in 2019.

Schools minister Will Quince has insisted closing the attainment gap is a “huge priority” for the Government, as Labour accused the Tories of having “failed” children amid regional disparities in results.

In London, 32.6 per cent of students achieved a 7/A or above.

This means the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber - at the bottom of the table when it came to top grades this year - were some 10.2 percentage points below London.