Yorkshire's A level students who missed out on university places describe anger ahead of U-turn over grades

Martha Edwards, who wrote an open letter to Gavin Williamson saying her "future had been stolen" after being downgraded in her A level results last week.

Bradford head girl Martha Edwards has seen an open letter she wrote to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson shared hundreds of times on social media, after she told him her grades had been impacted by a postcode lottery.

The 18-year-old had offers to study drama at Manchester and Birmingham universities, both of which were withdrawn after her predicted grades of AAB turned out to be ABC.

Grades for A level students had been based on an algorithm, but will now revert back to teachers' assessed grades following an announcement made this afternoon.

GCSE results, due out this Thursday, will also now be based off students' predicted scores.

Miss Edwards, who is head girl at St Bede's and St Joseph's Catholic School in Heaton, Bradford, said in her open letter: "It is no coincidence that students at comprehensive schools have suffered disproportionately to students at private schools.

"You have stolen the future I shaped for myself with my tears and with late nights of school work."

Her letter, which was also praised by MP Tracy Brabin as a "rallying cry", continued: "I also speak as the student who will be proud for the rest of her life that she was head girl of her school. You will never take that pride from me. I know that a part of me will remain this Bradford girl forever.

A U-turn over A level results was announced on Monday afternoon, reverting back to teachers' assessed grades instead of those awarded through algorithms.

"I will not allow this ridiculous classist system to destroy my dreams or make me wish I had been born in a more affluent place."

Miss Edwards was due to appeal her grades before the U-turn announcement.

"The majority of my friends were downgraded," she told The Yorkshire Post.

"One of my friends applied for medicine and now would have to take her exams all over again, which would be very difficult after being out of school for so long."

Students protested over the original grade assessments after thousands missed out on their chosen courses due to being dramatically marked down.

Elsewhere in Yorkshire, Seb Hiller's initially marked down grades would have meant he missed out on places to study medicine.

The 18-year-old, who attends independent Birkdale School in Broomhill, Sheffield, said the B he was given on Thursday in his chemistry A level saw both his first choice of Edinburgh University and insurance choice of St Andrew's withdraw their offers.

Ahead of the U-turn announcement, he said: "My teachers predicted I would get an A* and two A's, but instead I woke up to AAB.

"As a result of these grades, I woke up on Thursday to the news that both places had declined their offers. I spent most of Thursday trying to ring St Andrew's but of course all the lines were jammed.

A sign left outside the Department for Education building in London, as a protest over the continuing issues of last week's A level results

"I know those grades seem good, but that B in chemistry means that I can't follow my dream of studying medicine; the university system doesn't allow for cutting anyone any slack."

He described the four days of not knowing what would happen as "a constant state of limbo", adding: "To me, it's not about the grades. It's about the dashing of our hopes and dreams. The whole thing is beyond awful.

"I think the mental trauma on young people can't be underestimated. This is going to have a huge mental health impact in the long run. For many of us, it feels like your entire world has exploded. We are not algorithms - we are real people."

Following the announcement, students will now wait to find out whether their university offers will be back on the table.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: “For many students this announcement will generate further uncertainty, if they have been rejected from their first-choice course and university on the basis of the inaccurate and unjust Ofqual awarding process.

“Young people have suffered enough. They have few chances in the jobs market as the country faces rising unemployment and recession.

“Gavin Williamson should now announce that the cap on university places is lifted, so that more young people, who have worked so hard for their A-levels, can continue their studies and fulfil their potential.”