Some 130 journalists have made the grade as professional journalists in the latest NCTJ NCE exams – a pass rate of 65 per cent.
The exams this year included an element in which journalists were told write as if for the internet rather than the next day’s paper. The March exam this year had a 50 per cent pass rate.
The first-time pass rate was higher than in previous exams at 68 per cent.
Trainees who took September’s exam were marked for the first time on a log book of their work as a reporter, containing different types of stories such as court reports and inquests. Nearly all candidates, 96 per cent, passed this element.
Tarik Alraheed from the Malvern Gazette won the NCTJ’s prize for the best logbook.
In the news interview section, passed by 74 per cent, where trainees interview an examiner face to face, trainees for the first time were told to file the story as if they were filing for their newspapers’ website, instead of the next day’s edition.
Caroline Boyd, of the Newark Advertiser, won the Society of Editors’ award for the best news interview, writing what moderators called an ‘excellent, authoritative report”.
For the news report section, which 74 per cent also passed, trainees had to write a story on child obesity. Andrew Whelan, from the Brighton Argus, won the award for best news report, with moderators praising his report as ‘error free and a pleasure to read”.
The newspaper practice paper, which tests legal knowledge, was passed by 79 per cent of candidates and the Crawley Observer’s Matthew Graw won the prize for this section.
Christopher Daniel Amery of the St Helens Star was awarded the Pamela Meyrick Award for NCE candidates working in Northern England or North Wales.
The successful candidates are:
Ruhubia Akbor, Oldham Advertiser
Tarik Alrasheed, Malvern Gazette
Christopher Amery, St Helens Star
Stuart Amos, Surrey Comet
Emma Atkinson, The Citizen, Gloucester
Fiona Audley ,Barking and Dagenham Post
Anne-Marie Baker The Bath Chronicle
John Baker Spalding Guardian
Julie Bartram Spenborough Guardian
Lynsey Bews Fife Free Press
Christopher Birkle Nottingham Evening Post
Marcus Boocock Nottingham Evening Post
Caroline Boyd Newark Advertiser
Jennifer Brookfield Rossendale Free Press
Shirley Brooks Derby Evening Telegraph
Robert James Brown Woking News and Mail
James Stuart Bryce The Daventry Express
Karen Burke Ilford Recorder
Tegan Chapman News Guardian
Jenny Clover South London Press
Matthew Colledge Chard & Illminster News
John Collingridge Hull Daily Mail
David Michael Connop-Price Basingstoke Gazette
Ellen Anne Cook Express & Echo, Exeter
Victoria Corbett Wokingham Times
Charlotte Cox Macclesfield Express Advertiser
Robert Dabrowski The News, Portsmouth
Andrew Daniels Westmorland Gazette
William Davison Town Crier Series
Jonathan Doel South Wales Argus
Laura Downton The Hampshire Chronicle
Marcus Harry Dysch Hendon Times Group
Emily-Ann Elliott Basingstoke Gazette
Tom Edwards Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Katie Fitzpatrick Rochdale Observer
Alexandra Fredman Whitby Gazette
Claire Margaret Fry Worcester News
James Gates Melton Times
Matthew Gaw Crawley Observer
Liza-Jane Gillespie Gazette Series Bailey Newspaper Group
Benjamin Green Worksop Guardian
Jack Grove Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Chantal Rosalyn Harris Esher News & Mail
Claire Hutchinson Crawley Observer
Christopher Henwood Llanelli Star
Suzannah Hills Western Telegraph
Thomas Hughes Lincolnshire Free Press
Andrea Hyam The Rutland Times
Tristan Harris Bromsgrove Standard
David Jackson Northants Evening Telegraph
Christopher Johnson Croydon Advertiser
Matthew Johnson Grimsby Telegraph
Fariha Karim Greenock Telegraph
Hurtej Kaur Nottingham Evening Post
Steven Kelly Runcorn World
Alicia Kelly Worcester News
Laura Kenny Middleton & N. Manchester Guardian
Daniel Kerins The News, Portsmouth
Hannah Kirk Pocklington Post
Angela Lisa Kirk Lancaster Guardian
Sadie Lawlor Sleaford Standard
Catherine Lea Wakefield Express
Rachel Leslie Wilmslow Express Advertiser
Deborah Linton The Bolton News
Natalie Mahon Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph
Richard Mason Darlington & Stockton Times
Steve Mather Evesham Journal
Samantha Matthew Slough Observer
Chloe Mayer Barking & Dagenham Recorder
Philip McCabe Freelance
Suzanne McTaggart Yorkshire Evening Post
Dominic Mills Leek Post & Times
Gareth Moorhouse Wiltshire Times
Charlotte Jane Morgan Wiltshire Times
David Moroney Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald
Richard Morris North West Evening Mail
Lynn Morris Daily Echo, Bournemouth
Andrew Mortimer Hull Daily Mail
Emma Mottram Redditch Standard
Sophie Moynes West Cumberland Times & Star
Laura Naylor The Sentinel
Cathy Neligan Halifax Evening Courier
Anthony O’Connell Llanelli Star
Catherine Oakes Derby Evening Telegraph
George Oliver Rossendale Free Press
Helen Victoria Orrell Essex Chronicle
Charlotte Orson Lincolnshire Echo
Lee Peace South Yorkshire Times
James Peacock Express & Star, Wolverhampton
Daniel Peters Mercury Series
Lorna Phelan Pontypool Free Press
Diana Pilkington Wimbledon Guardian
Ruth Caroline Pott-Negrine Chronicle & Echo
Diana Elizabeth Prince Evening Herald
Fiona Margaret Purnell Glenrothes Gazette
Miran Farah Rahman Keighley News
William Ramsey Hull Daily Mail
Megan Reynolds Waltham Forest Guardian
Robert Norley Rowlands Newbury Weekly News
Kathryn Ryan Salford Advertiser
Hannah Scorer Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph
Gabriel Shepard Kent & Sussex Courier
Jennifer Silver The Forester
Rachel Sixsmith Horticulture Week
Kate Skelton Nottingham Evening Post
Amanda Claire Smith The Bolton News
Laurel Smithson Welwyn & Hatfield Times
Emma Louise Spencer Barnsley Chronicle
Jonathan Stayton Esher News & Mail
Martin Steinmetz Chorley Guardian
Corey Stephenson The Southern Daily Echo
Mark Tallentire Darlington & Stockton Times
Johanna Thewlis Bury Free Press
Stephen Thirkill Mansfield Chad
Cherry Thomas Lytham St Annes Express
Julian Thorpe Barnsley Chronicle
Jean Margaret Tilley The Somerset County Gazette
Lydia Tipple Andover Advertiser
Hannah Truman Cumberland & Westmorland Herald
Stephanie Tye Swindon Advertiser
Alexandra Valk Northampton Chronicle & Echo
Marc Walker Ilford Recorder
Simon Nathan Ward Rugby Advertiser
Andrew Westbrook Wandsworth Guardian
Andrew Whelan The Argus, Brighton
Damon William Wilkinson Rochdale Observer
Laura Williams Wiltshire Gazette & Herald
James Williamson Westmorland Gazette
Adam Wilshaw Western Morning News
Sam Woodman Worthing Herald
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