A NORTH-EAST youngster was celebrating last night after becoming the most successful GCSE student in history.

Mark Richardson, 16, a pupil at Emmanuel College in Gateshead, stunned his classmates by gaining a remarkable 13 top GCSEs - 12 of them at A* grade.

He was one of six students at the mixed-ability college to get 13A and A* grades.

Mark's biology tutor presented him with a revision book after achieving "only" an A grade in that subject. But he managed to notch up A* results in all of his other subjects: physics, maths, chemistry, electronics, English language, English literature, RE, business studies, information technology, geography, French and German.

Mark, who insists he "did not do that much revision", said: "My heart stopped when I saw my results. I was expecting good results - maybe six A*s - but nothing like this."

He plans to stay on at Emmanuel College to do his A-levels, with a view to becoming either a teacher or youth psychologist.

l Two six-year-olds yesterday became the youngest people ever to pass a GCSE.

Rajaei Sharma, born in November 1993, just pipped Elissa Patel, born in October the same year, to the record when both scored Cs in information technology having completed the course in only nine months.

Rajaei said: "It made me very happy. I really like computers, but I prefer football."

They both studied at the private Ryde College, near Watford, Hertfordshire.

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