From the lush Yorkshire Dales to the spires and sandstone of Lancaster, the sounds of ripping envelopes were accompanied by sighs of relief and pleasure.

Casterton School's head teacher Tony Thomas said he was "thrilled" with the success of his students, as 68.4 per cent of passes were A*s or As - the school's best ever GCSE results.

"All records have been smashed," he said. "Prospects for A levels in 2005 and 2006 are outstanding!"

Among the high-performing students were Jennifer Woodburn, of Ingleton, who got nine A*s.

But she was by no means alone, as Caitlin Dent, of Kendal, got eight A*s and one A.

She finished in the top five of 37,340 candidates nationwide in Spanish with the AGA examinations board.

Mr Thomas added: "With so much publicity about the national decline in modern languages, we are delighted that 63 of the 66 entries in French, German or Spanish gained either A* or A."

But it was not only in languages that Casterton's girls excelled. Mr Thomas said: "The myth that girls are weaker at science was also exploded, with 21 A*s or As from 28 entries in chemistry, and 17 A*s or As from 21 in physics."

Fellow students Ruth Davis, of Kendal, and Katie Baron, of Sedbergh, hit the top with eight A*s and two As and 6 A*s and three As, respectively.

At Lancaster Royal Grammar School, four boys achieved a clean sweep of ten A* grades, among them Glen Jeffries, 16, from Warton.

"I'm really, really pleased with it," said Glen, who is going to stay on at the sixth form at LRGS. "I worked hard but I did not expect that, and I would just like to thank the teachers."

The student also achieved one of the top five marks in the country for English literature with the AQA examination board.

LRGS head teacher Andrew Jarman said: "It is a very strong year, particularly in the context of boys' performance nationally. The results are a real tribute to the hard work and ambition of both the boys and the staff."

In the gentle hills around Settle, there were some outstanding individual successes at Giggleswick School.

Henry Wilman, who lives in Casterton, not only achieved nine A* and three A grades but he also achieved one of the top five marks in the country from the 19,000 candidates taking AQA's chemistry exam.

Not to be outdone by the boys, Victoria Turner, of Settle, achieved ten A* grades and 1 A.