Nine Berkeley Institute students received As and A stars in their Spanish GCSEs - thanks to a determined teacher.

The school offered Maths and Spanish GCSEs last year for the first time and many students that took them received glowing results.

A whole Spanish class received As and one A star in Spanish with the help of teacher Mary Cottle.

Student Taniesha Brangman, who will soon part take in an overseas exchange programme, said her teacher made sure she was prepared. "Ms Cottle gave me ten practice GCSEs to do the night before," she said.

She said that she did a few pages of each one and it helped her to receive an A on the actual exam.

School principal Michelle Gabisi said that Ms Cottle went to great lengths to make sure the students were in class.

Ms Brangman said that Ms Cottle would search for students and call them on the phone if they had a free period to try to get them to do extra Spanish work.

"There was no hiding," she said.

Ms Cottle, who is entering her fifth year at Berkeley, told The Royal Gazette that the students realised they had a lot of ground to cover and were co-operative with her and very hard working.

Student Ebony Fray, who has started her first year at Bermuda College, said: "I have had Ms Cottle since 2000 and it has never been a dull moment."

Ms Gabisi said the students sat part of the exam on May 24 (Bermuda Day) due to the examining board scheduling it for that day. However, she said, that it was possible to change the date but the students were willing to come in on their holiday and take the exam, and they were even willing to take it in uniform.

Ms Gabisi said she was delighted with the success of the GCSE programme, and more subjects were on the agenda for this upcoming school year.

English, Drama, Food and Nutrition, Textiles, Business studies, and possibly French, will be available to students who wish to take the exam this year.

Last school year 11 students completed the Maths GCSE - seven earned grades in the A,B,C range.

Nine students sat the Spanish exam - all receiving As or higher, Ms Gabisi said.

The students that took their GCSEs last year also took the Bermuda School Certificate (BSC).

Ms Brangman said the GCSE preparation helped her to breeze through her BSC.

Other Berkeley students that received top scores on their Spanish GCSEs were: Attiya Talbot, who got the highest grade (A star) and is an United World College Scholar and Valedictorian, Michelle Trott, who is attending Acadia University this year, Gaynete Edwards, who is doing an exchange in Venezuela, Spain, and Vinisha Saltus, Jenay Emery, Veronica Medeiros, and Johnae Perinchief, who are all at Bermuda College this year.