For thousands of teenagers, GCSE results day was a pivotal occasion - the moment doors opened to the rest of their life.

But for dozens of adults in Norfolk, it was significant for the precise same reason, as they too collected their all-important results.

Over the past two years, 91 people have been plugging away at their GCSE studies, while also continuing with their ordinary adult lives.

The courses are run by Norfolk County Council's adult learning service, which offers GCSE maths and English courses for free to over 19s.

The latest cohort saw 73pc of students achieve grade 4 or above in maths and 78pc in English.

Among these was 33-year-old health technician Aaron Jarvis, from Norwich, who needed a maths GCSE to fulfil his dream of becoming a paramedic.

After securing a grade 5 passing grade, Mr Jarvis is now set to go on to become a trainee paramedic at the East of England Ambulance Service Trust.

He said: "The course was really good. The tutor was fantastic - she was so helpful and would go over the steps again and again until you understood it."

The courses have also allowed 27-year-old Tugce Sahin, from Thetford to move on to a teacher training course, having earned passing grades in English and maths.

She said: "All the tutors have been so supportive and ready to help at every stage.

"If you are thinking about doing a GCSE with adult learning, just go for it, they help you every step of the way."

Margaret Dewsbury, the county council's cabinet member for communities and partnerships, said: "I'm delighted to convey congratulations to all of this year's adult learning students on their GCSE results.

“These newly-acquired GCSEs in maths and English are something to really take pride in and I’m sure they will help to open doors for this cohort of students in their next endeavours in the world of work or study.

“It’s really wonderful to hear how Tugce and Aaron’s results are enabling them to take the next steps towards their dream jobs.

“Today is also a testament to the hard work and dedication of the tutors in the service, who have helped their students through extraordinary times and can be equally proud of today’s results.”