Scarborough College is one of the first schools in the area to take up the IB and this year's sixth formers were the first from the school to sit the exam.

One was Anna-Elise Harvey, who scored 42 out of a possible 45 points and plans to study chemistry at the University of East Anglia.

She said: "It would have been difficult for me to choose a good combination of A-levels. With the IB I didn't need to be too specific and could keep my options open."

Headmaster Jonathan Lee said: "My predecessor adopted the International Baccalaureate to provide a more rounded education for those in the sixth form.

"The current upper sixth is the first group of students to complete their studies and take the examinations.

"This means we have been naturally apprehensive about the set of IB results achieved by this first cohort and overall we are extremely pleased by the success they have achieved.

"Furthermore, with a school having a heavy responsibility to prepare students for a workplace where demands and expectations will increasingly change quickly and dramatically, adaptability will be a huge advantage.

"The IB, with an organisational structure that prescribes breadth, helps establish this quality and I am sure many will be grateful for this in the future."