ONE Oxfordshire student has reason to celebrate more than others after he managed to turn around a U grade and receive three A*s.

Chris Willis, who attends Gosford Hill School in Kidlington, received a U in a mock physics exam when he was in Year 12.

Undeterred by the setback, it only made the 18-year-old work harder.

After opening his A-level results to find A*s in Chemistry, Maths and Physics, he told the Oxford Mail: “After my GCSEs, I wanted a fresh start and to do better.

“It was distressing to then get the U, and I wanted to improve.

“I knuckled down and ever since then, I’ve worked hard.

“When I opened my results, I was shocked at first – I didn’t think I’d do this well.

“I’m proud of the work I’ve put in and I knew if I kept working hard, it would pay off and thankfully it has.”

Mr Willis will now study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nottingham.

The pandemic has also interrupted his education, as he said: “In all my subjects, there’s been points when teachers haven’t been able to teach, and there’s had to be a lot of independent work.

“It’s difficult because in a classroom, you can instant feedback and it’s challenging not getting that when you’re learning online.”