A GRAMMAR school whizz is setting her sights on becoming south Essex’s next hot-shot lawyer after securing five A* in her A-level exams and earning a spot at Cambridge University.

Prakruti Rao, 18, admitted she thought there had been a mistake when she opened her results envelope on Thursday morning at Westcliff High School for Girls to see she had achieved perfect grades.

Now the student, who grew up in Southend, is heading to Cambridge in September to study law, in the hope of becoming a criminal lawyer.

The teenager was awarded A* in history, English literature, French, Spanish and the extended project qualification, where she wrote an essay on law.

Prakruti said: “I had an email in the morning on Thursday to say I had been accepted at Cambridge University and it was a massive relief and was a joyous moment.

“I was nervous after the last two years and Covid too, and I was surprised how nervous I was as I went to the school.

“I was physically shaking and was surrounded by my teacher for support. It was such a momentous moment, I was in disbelief and thought there must have been some error.

“I felt a huge sense of achievement and felt like I could breathe for the first time in two years.

“I also felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I did not expect to see these results at all.”

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Her dad, Bandipalyam Praveen, said he and the family are incredibly proud of her huge achievement.

The 59-year-old consultant at Southend Hospital said: “It’s incredible and Thursday was a very emotional and the emotional time continues.

“I can only describe it as one of the happiest of our life.

“I was abroad and as I landed at Heathrow Airport, I called them and heard the screams down the phone as she found out she secured her university place.”

Student at Westcliff High School for Girls had plenty of reasons to celebrate on Thursday, with six other students securing spots at Oxbridge while seven students qualified to study medicine as their first-choice university.

Olga Mitala was awarded three A* grades and one A and will be going to Cambridge to study history and modern language.

Isobel Beresford Cole, former head girl, was awarded four A* grades and will be going onto Cambridge University to study human, social and political science.