Drama students are celebrating after examiners gave them better GCSE grades.

A total of 49 pupils at Hillcrest School in Rye Road, Hastings, had their papers reviewed after being disappointed with their results in August.

In all cases pupils had not hit their projected grades. The sheer number of students whose results failed to meet expectations prompted teachers to get them re-marked.

Yesterday it emerged 33 out of the 49 drama students have gained an improvement after the examining body admitted they had been hard done by.

All 33 grades went up by a single grade. But in some cases it has meant pupils rose into the all-important A to C bracket, with an extra GCSE pass for their CVs.

Four students now boast an A- grade. Teachers said it was a dramatic improvement, with 67 per cent gaining better grades, while no one was downgraded.

Such a high number of revised grades is unusual.

Head of drama Claire Bowers said: "I couldn't understand why so many of our students had not achieved their projected grades.

"It was disappointing to us as teachers but also clearly upsetting for them when they had worked so hard.

"I was sure that something quite extraordinary must have happened for such a large percentage of the group to be affected in this way and felt that a review was in order.

"Fortunately, we were able to get the papers looked at again and I am just so pleased that 33 students are now celebrating improved grades."

Mrs Bowers said she found in some cases coursework had not been thoroughly examined, giving the school reasonable grounds to challenge the grades.

It took a month for the revised grades to come back and it has meant celebrations for those with an extra GCSE pass.

David Hate, of the 1,100-pupil school, said: "It is certainly unusual for such a high number of pupils from one class to not achieve what we thought they would after being continually assessed throughout the year.

"To its credit, the exam board was very positive and actively co-operated and we have no criticism whatsoever."

This week, plans emerged for the biggest reform of education for 60 years.

Former chief inspector of schools Mike Tomlinson recommended that GCSEs and A-Levels should eventually be replaced by a new diploma qualification.

The courses and subjects currently taken at GCSE and A-Level would remain as the building blocks of the new diploma but the exam names themselves should go.