Sixth Form Success
Sidcot students celebrate another successful year of exam results at A Level and in the International Baccalaureate, where their performances have continued to outstrip national and world averages.
At A Level, in a year which saw the national level of top awards fall, Sidcot students recorded 38.4% A* and A Grades and 70.9% A* to B, as against 26% and 52.4% respectively nationally. Last month’s IB Diploma results were also ahead of world averages with the top score being 43 out of a possible 45, the equivalent of four A*s and an A at A Level.
A Level student Lauren Mercer (18) from Winscombe was “thrilled and very excited” to get the results she needed for her first choice university. Lauren achieved As in both Maths and English Literature and a B in Economics. She will be attending Bath University in September to take her place on the highly regarded Business Administration course.
Ed Dolley (18) from Banwell, who also studied A Levels, was up at 6am to receive his results by email. After much nervous anticipation, Ed was “extremely relieved” to receive confirmation of a place on his first choice course of Media and Communications at Loughborough University. While Ed’s aspiration of becoming a Formula 1 driver appears unlikely he’s hoping that his degree might lead him to a career in sports journalism.
Two students who received their IB results in July, Kenrick Yuan and Polina Skliarevitch, achieved 43 out of a possible 45 points, the equivalent of four A*s and an A at A Level. This places them in the top 1% of IB students worldwide. Kenrick is going to study Business Management at Exeter University and Polina, Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.
Polina is delighted with her results – she can’t believe that her dream of getting into veterinary medicine has become a reality. She credits the IB programme with giving her a breadth of education that sets her in good stead to cope with the rigours of an intense course. Although a natural scientist, the IB enabled her to continue with English Literature, a Modern Language and Economics alongside her main subjects.
Kenrick, who is off to Exeter in the Autumn, says: "With IB the emphasis is on developing the person as a whole. We shouldn’t be narrowing down our options. We are only teenagers! Studying the IB has helped me keep all the doors open. Its international recognition is unparalleled and I feel it helps develop many crucial skills useful for University and other forms of further education, for example time management and tackling lengthy essays."
Headmaster, Iain Kilpatrick, said: “We are, once again, delighted with the performance of our Sixth Form students. Their achievements at both A Level and IB are testament to the hard work they have put in over Sixth Form and the support and encouragement they have received from their teachers and parents. Their grades are a passport to the next exciting stage in their educational journey at university and beyond and we wish them every success.”
Photographs (in order of appearance): Ed Dolley, Polina Skliarevitch and Kenrick Yuan, Lauren Mercer