A Wimbledon school has once again achieved stellar results in the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma results, released last weekend.

Upper Sixth students at King's College School, Wimbledon, have achieved a joint average of 39.7 points so far, which the school hopes will rise to their record 40-point average achieved the last two years, after papers are sent to be re-marked.

Pupils who take the IB, an internationally-recognised alternative qualification to A-Levels, receive a score out of 45 for six subjects, which must include a science, maths, literature and foreign language subject.

While the IB global average score is about 29, presently 114 of King's College School final-year pupils have scored 40 points of more.

The fee-paying independent school, which accepts boys and girls for sixth form, achieved the best results for an independent school in the country last year, and hopes to achieve similar results this year.

This year its fees were nearly £20,000 a year for a place at its senior school, £17,520 for a place at junior school, and just over £15,000 for Transitions/First Form.

Headmaster Andrew Halls, said: "IB is free of government interference and it hasn't got any grade inflation. Also, it's got a lot of respect in the international market.

"It's very demanding and the pupils at the end of it feel a great sense of achievement although they do also with the A-Levels."

King's College School re-introduced the option of taking A-Levels for Lower Sixth pupils in September 2013, following the introduction of the A* grade and abolition of modules.

Mr Halls said A-Levels can be a good option for pupils who just want to take three sciences and maths.