Across the country, the pass rate reached 97.2 per cent, the highest ever.

The percentage of A grades went up from 25.3 last year to 25.9 in 2008.
The story was a similar one in Calderdale where hundreds of our young people celebrated a successful end to school life.

And good luck to the them all.

Lots of people gripe that A-levels are now easier than they were in the past.

They say this is to feed a university system awash with record numbers of places.

And the most cynical believe the situation has been manufactured to keep the jobless totals down.

While there is clearly an element of truth in some of these arguments, and earning a university place is not as prestigious an achievement as it once was, to use this as a stick to beat today's exam-takers is churlish, negative and unfair.

They have, after all, devoted two years of their lives to hard work and revision to make sure they get the best possible start to working life.
People should also remember that students do not set the questions. They only answer them.

And judging by this latest batch of results they answer them rather well, to say the least.

At the same time, teachers do not set courses, syllabuses are designed at national level.

But once the wave of euphoria has passed, young people will need to keep their feet firmly on the ground.

Whether they are heading for university or to their first interviews, life is about to get a whole lot more serious.

Getting fabulous A-level results is just one step towards a solid future.