CROYDON twins who scooped a staggering 23 A*s between them in their GCSEs said their success was thanks to friendly sibling rivalry.
Riddlesdown Collegiate pupils Poppy and Amber Ash, 16, revise together when they can and said that having each other spurred them on through long days of exam preparation.
Poppy said: "When she's revising I want to make sure I'm revising too."
"It makes me more motivated because I want to beat her," Amber added.
Poppy was Riddlesdown's star pupil, getting A*s in all 12 of her GCSEs. But Amber was hot on her heels with 11 A*s and one A.
Amber said that her secret was to stay calm, adding: "You need to revise but don't panic. I watch a lot of comedies so I'm in a good mood all the time. You have to pretend that you enjoy it and you can't do that if you just revise lots."
Poppy recalled the moment she realised she only had 100 days to go until the exams started.
She said: "I worked out a timetable and found a way of cramming. I kept taking lots of breaks to listen to music and made sure I got enough sleep."
The twins haven't decided where they will go for sixth form yet. They both want to study psychology, English and Spanish at A level, with Poppy also wanting to study art and Amber, Latin.
As well as acing their exams, both girls recently completed the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. They also lobbied to keep Croydon Library open.
Rob Watkins is head of Orion, the twins' college at Riddlesdown. He said: "I'm absolutely amazed with their performance getting some record results.
"Both girls took maths early in November and got A*s and have continued their success with these results.
"It's an exceptional product of all their hard work and commitment.
"They consistently work hard every day."
Poppy and Amber celebrated their results last Thursday at a Sleeping with Sirens concert that night.
