TODAY is the day that A-Level students across the county find out whether they have secured a place at their first choice universities.

With controversy surrounding the new A* grade it is easy to forget that sixth formers in Lincolnshire a pinning their futures on the results they get today.

Yarborough School pupils Joanne Hadley, left, who received three C grades and Catherine Haw, who got two B's and a D.

Universities are facing intense pressure on places, with between 170,000 and 200,000 estimated to miss out this year. Students who drop even one grade could find they are turned away.

More than 660,000 people had applied to start full-time undergraduate courses by the end of June – up nearly 12 per cent on last year's record-breaking figure.

Universities are reporting that they will have few, if any places available in clearing, and less are expected to be available than the 47,000 places that were taken through clearing last year.

Pupils at Lincoln Christ's Hospital school were celebrating a 98 per cent pass rate this morning, and a massive 60 per cent of pupils taking exams managed to get grades from A* – C.

Among the throng of pupils, 21 students managed to get three A grades.

Amy Gregory Jones, 18, achieved three As and two Bs at A-level but is having to take a gap year because of a lack of university places.

She said: "I wanted to do medicine and I didn't get in.

"I've worked so hard for a really long time and I don't want to give up on the idea of being a doctor so I'm going to get some experience this year and reapply next year.

"I don't think people should lower their expectations just because of a lack of places – I won't be."

Excited A level pupils started arriving at Yarborough School at 9am to pick up their long awaited results.

Keith Jones, head of 6th form, told the Echo that this year's results continued on an upward trend with every student achieving at least one qualification.

Thirty seven per cent of students achieved three or more A levels at A to C grades.

Steven Sheppard, 17, achieved the new A* in maths . He said: "Im really pleased with the result, I didn't realise that you could get an A*this year but apparently you can.

"I'm hopefully going to Leicester University to do a maths degree."

Andy Poole, 18, got 3 As at A level and B in AS further maths.

He said: "I'm going to Nottingham University to study maths.

"It is what I have always wanted to do. After I leave university I want to join the RAF as a pilot – hopefully they wont have closed down all the bases by then."

IN YOUR ECHO TOMORROW: Full coverage of A-level results from around the county.