AMONG some of the biggest shake-ups to secondary education in a generation, there were plenty of happy students at Okehampton College as they turned out to collect their GCSE results. The college achieved 67% of students gaining five A* to C grades. This is a slight drop on last year's record results, which were 71%. When this benchmark was measured in 2006, the college's performance was 36%. Schools across the country were warned about 'volatility' in results following major changes to the exam system. This is the first year of results following the switch to a greater emphasis on exams at the end of two years, rather than coursework and modular units. Despite the slight dip in performance, college principal Daryll Chapman was very happy with the college's results. 'You can not compare this year's results with previous years,' said Mr Chapman. 'With changes to the weighting of exams and subjects, and a new linear exam structure where all the exams are taken at the end of the year, things are completely different this time around. 'All schools were warned of the volatility in the potential results due to the changes in exam structure. This is the first time that many schools, including ourselves, were unsure what to expect in terms of results. 'We are delighted that our students have achieved excellent GCSE results. What I am most pleased about is that while things are based on different criteria, and there has been all this change in the exam system, we have sustained our level of performance. 'Our results are slightly down, but during this massive period of change, the fact we have maintained our level says a lot. 'The kids and our staff have done really well again, and it is congratulations to them today.' College vice principal Derrick Brett said: 'This is in line with our results in the past, and among all the uncertainty we are happy with how things have gone. They have been a delightful year group, a real pleasure to work with, and watch improve. 'It is all too easy to focus purely on numbers and results, but ultimately, what this is about is making sure that each student can achieve what they want to. 'We want to make sure that we do what we can to help children get the job they want, or go to the university of their choosing. That is what brings teachers to work each day, and why we do it.' Among the college's highest achievers were Jack Newton, who got eight A*s and three As, Millie Roberts who got seven A*s, three As and a B, Megan Hansen with seven A*s, two As and two Bs, Daniel Rooney with seven A*s, two As, and two Bs, Louise Grainger with six A*s, three As and a B, Sam Magowan with six A*s, one A, three Bs and a C, Joseph Ball with five A*s, four As, and two Bs, and Benjamin Stratton with five A*s, four As, a B and a C.