Student Antonia Figgins proved she was an expert in multiplication by giving birth in the middle of her maths exam.

Antonia, 26, took the first part of the GCSE three days before going into labour and sat the second in hospital with baby Leah sleeping in a crib beside her.

Her newborn daughter was as good as gold as she tackled algebra, fractions and trigonometry and, despite her unusual surroundings, Antonia managed to score a grade B.

Antonia is one of hundreds of students today celebrating excellent exam results across Sussex, where many schools recorded improve-ments in the number of pupils achieving five or more A* to C grades.

In Brighton and Hove, the number increased from 46.5 per cent last year to 48.2 per cent, although individual results showed a widening gap between the best and worst performing schools.

An invigilator sat with Antonia, who works as a supermarket security manager, in a private maternity room to ensure normal exam conditions were met.

The married mother-of-two failed her maths GCSE first time round but retook to qualify for a place on a teacher training course.

Antonia, of Langney Point, Eastbourne, said: "I am over the moon but the timing could have been better.

"When I sat the exam in hospital I was a little tired but fortunately I didn't need many drugs during labour so I had quite a clear head.

"Leah was so good. She didn't wake once during the exam so I could just get on with it.

"The thought of having to sit an exam after having given birth was horrible but we came through."

Antonia collected her result from Sussex Downs College in Cross Levels Way, Eastbourne, as nine-week-old Leah gurgled happily in her arms.

Leah weighed in at 7lb 14oz after being born naturally in a water pool on June 7 after a six-hour labour.

She is now being doted upon by her big brother Jake, three.

While preparing for the birth, Antonia, who works at Asda in the the Crumbles, Eastbourne, managed to devote hours to cramming for the two-part exam.

She sat the first paper at Kings Church in Eastbourne.

Antonia said: "Being pregnant wasn't the hard part.

"Studying, plus the sheer panic I might go into labour during the exam, was the stressful part.

"I got the grade I needed and did even better than I expected."

Mrs Figgins needed a maths GCSE pass to apply for a post-graduate teaching degree course at the University of Brighton.

She plans to take a year off to look after Leah before applying for the course, which she hopes will lead to a primary school teaching career.

Husband John, 27, said: "I'm really proud of her.

"It can't have been easy sitting an exam in hospital so soon after giving birth but she has done it.

"It's great news, particularly as she got such a good grade.

"They are both truly fantastic."