Five out of the ten press photographers who took their National Certificate Examination got the pass they needed.

Two of them were re-sitting the exam after an earlier attempt.

They had to provide material for the Portfolio and Advance Project parts of the exam, and sit a practical paper on the day, which included taking shots and organising captions.

Chief examiner, Peter Dash, said: "Of the ten candidates, including two re-sits that were marked, five were awarded the NCE qualification.

"I am pleased that both re-sit candidates this time presented accomplished work and duly deserve their success.”

Unusually, a number of candidates failed the practical section. However, the marks were close enough for the examiners to expect them to pass on a re-sit, following further training and experience.

Peter said: "Exam nerves can often play a part in this section but as their chosen career will always put them into pressure situations, we must be convinced that they have the character, knowledge, creativity and expertise to cope with this.

"The NCE is a nationally and internationally recognised qualification which guarantees that the journalist is competent in all the skills required by the industry. The candidate must meet stringent requirements and high standards to qualify.”

The successful candidates were: