A DETERMINED student has achieved seven GCSEs, despite suffering with brain damage after being hit by a car.

Seven months ago Alex Sage, 16, was knocked down by a car as she walked to Maltings Academy one morning.

She was left dipping in and out of consciousness in the road.

Despite still not being back to full health, the student has gained three Bs, two Cs and two Ds in her GCSE exams.

Mum Pauline is thrilled her daughter survived to take the exams, saying the results are the icing on the cake.

She said: "Considering all Alex has been through, we are really proud of her.

"She is still recovering now and has concentration and memory problems, as well a lack of smell or taste. As yet, we’re not sure what damage is permanent; we won’t know for up to a year."

Alex was left with a fractured skull, brain injury and internal bleeds after the crash and spent two months off school recovering.

The teenager, who also has a rare blood condition, is now off to Braintree College to study for a Btec in art and design.

She said: "It was quite hard to concentrate on the exams, but I tried my hardest. I still get really bad headaches and dizzy spells and I trip when I walk as I don’t take in what’s around me. It’s just something I’ve got to live with.

"I’m really excited about college."

Alex was able to sit her GCSE exams separately because of the noise and her concentration issues.

Mrs Sage described the school as "brilliant."

She said: "When she returned to school, it was only for an hour a day and then two hours a day and then it was exam time so she went in for them. We are really proud she was able to sit the exams.

"At the time, the exams were not on our minds at all. We couldn’t even think about that side of things after the accident; we just didn’t know how things were going to go.

"She had to eventually focus on getting back to normal life and part of that was getting back to school.

"The school helped her a lot, they just worked around her and what she was able to do.

"Alex was really nervous about getting her results, but we said to her she had done so well already just to sit the exams."