There were hugs all round and screams of joy (or is that relief?) as students picked up their A level results this morning, writes Kate Ferguson. The nail biting wait was over in an instant as Brent students gathered at their schools to find out if they

There were hugs all round and screams of joy (or is that relief?) as students picked up their A level results this morning, writes Kate Ferguson.

The nail biting wait was over in an instant as Brent students gathered at their schools to find out if they got what they needed to go on to university.

And for many the wait was worth it.

Sonali Shah, 18, from Claremont School, Kingsbury, said she was 'overjoyed' as she ripped open her results to find she had scored straight As in maths, history and economics.

Sonali, who is going to study history at the prestigious York University, said: "There are no words to describe this feeling - I just feel ecstatic.

"My heart was beating so fast as I opened them.

"I really, really wanted to get into York University. This is a dream come true."

Ibrahim Kadri, 20, moved from Nigeria with his father two years ago. Despite being of school age and eager to learn, Ibrahim struggled to find a sixth form to take him on because of his age.

He eventually landed a place at Copland, in Wembley, where he found out he scored straight Bs for A level in chemistry, human biology and maths. He plans to study Pharmacy at Reading University from October.

He said: "I am really happy that all my hard work paid off. My dad is at home waiting for me to tell him, he is going to be so proud of me.

"Coming into an English school having always been taught in Nigeria was nerve racking, but the transition was easier than I thought.

"Copland School has been incredibly welcoming, I have made fantastic friends here."

A record number of students have applied to university this year, but the number of places has been capped for the second year in a row, sparking fears that many high quality candidates may struggle to find a place.

But Capital City Academy, in Willesden, bucked the trend, and secured a record number of students get accepted to university this year.

One of them is Michael Vieira, 18, from Kensal Green, took biology, physics, and maths, and received A, A* and A* respectively. He is going to study natural sciences at Durham University.

He said: "I am really happy my hard work has paid off.

"My teachers have been amazing, I really want to thank them."

While most students nervously gathered at their schools from 10am to pick up a physical set of results, teachers said results day as we know it may soon be a thing of the past as grades go digital.

Mr Sudershan Bhandari, Assistant Head of Copland School, said: "It is potentially the last year we could be seeing people pick up their results from school like this as there are plans to put all the results up online.

"We'll continue to put something on for the students here though, as it is a great celebration of their achievement during their years at school."

UCAS published the results online this morning, although many students were left frustrated after the site crashed as people flooded the site at around 8.30am this morning.