Activating account using Email Verification - php

Question

There was an error. Please contact Admin at Error #####admin.com
confirming your account via email ativation, Please contact #####admin.com
Been trying to setup account verification via Email address, The email gets sent to the users address successfully, but when the user clicks the link sent to their account, Above error occurs.
Link from the Email
href="' . base_url() . 'register/validate_email/' . $email . '/' . $email_code . '"
When you click the link from your email, it directs to the
Register Controller
public function validate_email($email_address, $email_code)
{
$email_code=trim($email_code);
$validated = $this->model_user->validate_email($email_address, $email_code);
if($validated == true)
{
$this->load->view('includes/header');
$this->load->view('registration/view_email_validated', array('s_email' => $email_address));
$this->load->view('includes/footer');
}
else{
echo 'Error confirming your account via email ativation, Please contact '. $this->config->item('admin_email');
}
}
Model_user
public function validate_email($email_address, $email_code)
{
$sql = "select student_id, s_email, s_name from qcs_student where s_email = '{ $email_address }' limit 1";
$result = $this->db->query($sql);
$row = $result->row();
if($result->num_rows() == 1 && $row->s_name)
{
if(md5((string)$row->student_id) == $email_code)
{
$result = $this->activate_account($email_address);
}
else
{
$result = false;
}
if($result = true)
{
return true;
}
else
{
echo 'Something is wrong, Please contact Administrator at '. $this->config->item('admin_email');
return false;
}
}
else
{
echo 'There was an error. Please contact Admin at '. $this->config->item('admin_email');
}
}

Answer 1

Update $sql as bellow: (remove {} guard for email_address):
$sql = "select student_id, s_email, s_name from qcs_student where s_email = '$email_address' limit 1";