Emily Ross was expected to do well in her International Baccalaureate exams — but even she got a shock when she got her results.

The 17-year-old Bermuda High School for Girls student achieved a perfect score of 45, becoming one of an elite international group of just 46 students to achieve the top mark.

A total of 87,777 youngsters worldwide sit the exams — putting Emily in the top 0.05 percent of candidates. She is also the first student at BHS — which has been running the IB programme for six years — to achieve 45 points, the equivalent of at least six A grades at A-level.

She told The Royal Gazette: "It hasn't really registered yet. I'm still a bit: 'Oh my God, I can't believe it'. When I saw the results I just cried. I burst into tears.

"It's a bit of a surprise, especially as I was really mellow about these exams.

"I wasn't stressed out but I did work hard."

The Sandys teenager achieved six perfect scores of seven in her subjects, plus A marks for her extended essay and theory of knowledge.

She was unusual in taking four of her subjects at higher level, having decided at the last-minute to do Spanish. It was definitely the right choice as she now plans to study the language at university in Bristol, England, following a gap year in Peru teaching English.

"I have got this strange obsession with Latin American culture," she said. "I'm going to Peru and then hoping to go to Argentina then maybe to Africa; lots of travelling and community service work."

Emily's mum Kate, IB co-ordinator at BHS, said she was very proud. "It's brilliant for us as a school to get a 45 and I don't know when we'll next see that. There is no better score.

"With her GCSEs Emily got all A*'s. She has just worked really, really hard. I never had to tell her: 'Get off the phone and do your homework'."

BHS head teacher Linda Parker added her praise for the student, who has been at the school since the first year of primary, as well as Aliyyah Ahad and Erin Jackson, who both achieved 40 points.

This year 31 out of 33 students received the full IB diploma exams, giving a pass rate of 94 percent compared to a world average of 78 percent.