IT has been another record year in Worcestershire for thousands of GCSE pupils.

Schools across the county reported a great year, with many teenagers getting straight A*s and As. One pupil who is celebrating an outstanding achievement is Edward Kimberley.

The 13-year-old suffers from Aspergers Syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome and is schooled at home as a result.

He has just got two A*s in his chemistry and maths IGCSE – the international equivalent of the UK GCSE.

“He is pleasantly surprised,” said his mother Sheila.

“He took the exams, did really well and that is that for him, it is a matter of course – it is me that is over the moon.”

Edward was last at a mainstream school when he was 10-years-old, but he struggled as a result of his disabilities.

Now he is taught by his mother at their home in Wood Leason Avenue, Warndon Villages, Worcester.

The teenager is studying a variety of subjects including French, German, Latin and learning the piano and cello.

He recently got a distinction in his grade eight singing exam.

Edward is hoping to sit his English Literature and Geography IGCSEs in November and four more exams in the summer.

“He wants to get more than his peers to prove to them he can do it,” Mrs Kimberley said.

Edward has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome since he was little, and it is thought a bout of chickenpox brought on the illness when he was in year three at school.

It is a debilitating disorder which affects the teenager’s stamina, immune system and ability to recover from infections.

He was later diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome – a form of autism characterised by difficulties in social interaction – in year five at school.

Elsewhere in the city, some students had to wait longer than expected for their results.

At Bishop Perowne CE College in Merriman’s Hill, Worcester, pupils were left without their maths results because they had not been sent from the exam board in time.

It was hoped they would have them by the end of the day.