Nineteen Saltus Grammar School students are celebrating exceptional results in tough pre-college exams.

According to the school, a record number of students earned Advanced Placement Program (AP) Awards.

The AP programme, run by the College Board, provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school.

They can earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP exams.

Those who come top in the exams around 18 percent of the 1.8 million students who take them worldwide also earn an AP Scholar Award.

At Saltus, 18 of the 56 students in last year's Saltus Graduate Year Two (SGY2) class earned that award, plus one student from Saltus Graduate Year One. Of thirteen people in SGY2 who took the AP exam in Calculus AB, six achieved the top score of five.

Saltus Graduate Year head Jon Beard explained: "We moved the programme into a two year programme to give those who needed a little more preparation a chance to get good results on the AP.

"It's a policy that's obviously paying off. Students are doing phenomenally well our average is higher than the international average.

"It's given them the opportunity to be successful in North American universities because they get credit in their first year for certain courses.

"It also helps them qualify for UK universities as well, as APs are accepted in the same way as A-Levels and the International Baccalaureate."

The successful students from SGY2 were Simon Clinton, Nolan Moniz, Arthur Begeman, Jacari Brimmer-Landy, Larsen Burchall, Christina Smith, Catalina Sposato;

Calyx Tucker, Alexander White, James Anfossi, John Barnes, Karinah Dill, Courtney Outerbridge, Hayley Evans, Paige Fisher, Jaryn Martin, Jeffrey Olson and Sondai Smith.

Meanwhile Daniel Andrade from SGY1 also qualified, and is currently in SGY2 working on further college-level work.