Thousands of pupils across south Bucks will flock school on Thursday morning to collect the GCSE exam results their entire secondary education has been geared towards.

As the big day looms we unearthed some pictures from the archives of GCSE results day at schools across the county from 2003 to 2016.

As well as contending with the inevitable result-day nerves, the teenagers will have to decipher the new grading system which has been rolled out across the country for this first time this year.

According to national reports the new 9 to 1 grading system replaces the old A* to G for Maths, English and English Literature.

It is expected to phased into all other GCSEs over the next two years, with the bottom of a grade 7 being equivalent to the bottom of an A grade and the bottom of a 4 equating to the bottom of a C.

Dr Challoner’s, Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School ad Beaconsfield High were among the best performing schools in south Bucks last year – however there was a drop in grades nationally.

Live updates on how year 11s faired in the summer exams and a gallery of pictures will be posted on the Bucks Free Pres website as the results come in on Friday.