Teenagers scored record GCSE results today with the biggest rise in top grades for nearly 20 years.

For the first time, more than one in five exam papers was awarded an A* or A this year and the proportion achieving at least a grade C soared to two-thirds.

But there were more sharp falls in the numbers taking difficult subjects such as French and German, while so-called "soft" options including media studies continued to rise.

The overall pass rate at all grades rose slightly this year to 98.4 per cent.

Jim Sinclair, director of the Joint Council for Qualifications, which published the results, said pupils took fewer exams this summer but achieved well. "Once again, we have seen a welcome increase in results at GCSE, despite the lowest entry for five years," he said. "This is evidence of the hard work of the students and the continued dedication of their teachers." The 750,000 teenagers receiving their grades today represent the first generation of children solely educated under Labour. They started school aged five in September 1997. The results showed:

• The biggest rise in A* and A grades since 1989. Last year, 19.5 per cent of GCSEs were awarded the top marks. This year the figure was 20.7 per cent.

• The number of exams achieving a C grade rose 2.4 points from 63.3 per cent last year to 65.7 per cent - the largest increase since 1990.

• Maths exam entries were down by 21,800 and 10,700 fewer pupils took English. Some leading schools have dropped GCSEs in favour of international courses that are seen as harder, while others entered pupils for the exams early.

• A revamped set of science courses saw a big rise in the number of pupils choosing to study separate GCSEs in biology, chemistry and physics.

• French and German were among the biggest casualties again. They declined in popularity for the fourth year in a row in the wake of the Government's decision to make languages optional at GCSE.

• Fewer pupils took English literature and history this year, but media studies exam entries rose by 5.1 per cent.

The results will be crucial for 638 secondary schools in England - including 67 in London - which have been warned they face closure if they fail to improve.

Gordon Brown has set a target for there to be no school in the country where fewer than 30 per cent of pupils achieve at least five C grades in GCSEs, including maths and English. If schools fail to reach this level, they face being closed or turned into privately backed academies.

Schools minister Lord Adonis said the "elimination" of weak secondary schools was a priority. "It is not acceptable that parents should be faced without a choice of a good quality secondary school in their locality," he told the Guardian.

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