A GREAT Ayton student has battled a debilitating illness to become one of the country's top performers in this year's GCSE exams.

Lucy Smith, 16, who attends Stokesley School, was in London on Thursday of last week to collect an Assessment and Qualification Alliance award for her performance as the country's top technology candidate.

Lucy collected the prize at the exam board's awards luncheon. She was given a special mention at the ceremony because she missed the majority of her final school year owing to post viral fatigue syndrome.

The examination board was not aware that she was suffering from the energy-sapping illness until a week before the ceremony.

Lucy became ill in November 2003 and was forced to miss five months of school, going in just one hour a day for the remainder of the course because her energy levels were so low.

She said "It was hard doing ten GCSEs because I wasn't very well. The school said that I could drop a few if I wanted to. But I'd done bits of course work in year ten so I thought I might as well do it and see how I did."

Lucy managed to achieve four A*s and six As.

Fiona Smith, Lucy's mother, said: "We're very proud of Lucy. I think she's done exceptionally well considering the circumstances."

Lucy is now studying A-levels in drama, German and psychology and hopes to study drama at university.