Record A Level, IB and GCSE achievements for Ardingly pupils
The “extraordinary” hard work of our students has paid off in their end-of-school exams
A Level - Grade A stars shine at Ardingly College
A Level students at Ardingly College are celebrating “excellent” results with the newly introduced A* featuring strongly. Twelve per cent of the cohort achieved the A* - well above the national average. Nearly half of all those who sat Maths as a subject gained an A*, while in History 20% A*s were achieved and in Geography 30% of the results were A*.
Director of Studies Steve Allen said: “In spite of the climate being tougher than ever, the school's top achieving students have secured places on the top courses at the top universities of their choice. It's been another excellent year for our sixth formers, whether they studied A Levels or the International Baccalaureate Diploma.”
Among the high achievers at A Level, Robert Stabler with four A* and 1 A, is going to Oxford to read Medicine; Charles Board gained three A* and two A grades and is off to Cambridge to read Natural Sciences; Emesha Seneviratne is going to Southampton to study Medicine and Emily Williams is one of an elite band of students to have won a coveted place at RADA. (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts)
The International Baccalaureate
Thirty-nine of the Upper Sixth have been awarded the world-renowned International Baccalaureate Diploma. This 100 % success rate is an incredible achievement. Two boys, Timur Sauerborn and Nicholas Moelhoff, achieved a perfect score of 45 points – the equivalent of four A* grades at A Level. This puts them in the top 0.25% of the world’s highest IB achievers. More than a quarter of the IB cohort at Ardingly gained 40 points and over.
One third of the students achieved 38 points, the minimum requirement for Oxbridge entry. So far this year, four of Ardingly’s students have gained places at Oxbridge: Yana Kalcheva will read English at Lucy Cavendish, Cambridge; Chris Preston-Bell is to study Theology at Clare College, Cambridge.
They will be joined at Oxbridge by Sam Elwin, whose 42 IB points win him a place at Pembroke, Oxford, to read History, and Verena Neufeld whose score of 42 enables her to study Natural Sciences at Jesus College, Cambridge.
Other outstandingly high grades have been gained by Christine Bischoff (44 points); Marie Grueger (42); Ana Jackson and Katy Reader (41); Zara Christmas and Tom Durkin (40).
Director of Studies Steve Allen said: “This has been a year of record IB achievements. Ten of our students have achieved 40 points and over and this means they are in the top seven per cent of the highest IB achievers in the world.
“However, huge congratulations are due not only to those with the highest grades, but to everyone who has been awarded the IB Diploma. These students join a global IB network whose extraordinary achievements are welcomed by universities and employers throughout the UK and around the world.”
In a commentary on the annual debate about whether A Levels are getting easier, Ardingly College Headmaster Peter Green said: “At Ardingly College we have ten years' experience of offering our sixth formers both the International Baccalaureate and A Levels. It is interesting to note that our percentage of A and B grades at A Levels has doubled in the last decade, while our IB average score has remained about the same. Unlike A Levels, the IB is neither subject to grade inflation nor the tinkering of successive governments. I am delighted that so many of our pupils gained A*. But the A* is not the way forward; it still involves teaching to the test and all it does is make students jump through yet more assessment objectives. That is not to denigrate the hard work of the students, but pupils canonly dowhat is set in front of them.Not everyone may want the breadth of learning offered by the IB Diploma (although increasing numbers of state and independent schools are embracing it). If there is to be a renewal of our current post-16 exam system, as the education secretary Michael Gove has suggested, then I recommend the IB as a model.”
University destinations include:
Sam Elwin, History, Oxford
Charles Board, Natural Sciences, Cambridge
Robert Stabler, Medicine, Oxford
Verena Neufeld, Natural Sciences, Cambridge
Christine Bischoff, Geology, Imperial
Rory Collinge, Engineering, Imperial
Emesha Seneviratne, Medicine, Southampton
Katie Reader, Music, Durham
Emily Williams, RADA
Lucy Miller, Liberal Arts, NYU
Jessica McGahan, Theology, Durham
GCSE A Sparkling Set of GCSE Results
Our pupils celebrated achieving 53% of all grades at A* and A out of a 100% pass rate. 81% of all passes were A* to B grade. Local stars include Kathryn Welsh from Burgess Hill with 10 A* and one A grade and Lindfield pupil Emily Baker with 8*, 2 As and a B. Emily said: “I am thrilled because now I can go on to take the International Baccalaureate at Ardingly. I am going to specialise in science as that is what I want to study at university.”
Indeed Ardingly girls bucked the national trend by slightly outperforming the boys in what, overall, were exceptional results in maths and the three sciences: 97% of physics passes were A* or A and in the demanding maths IGCSE, 59% of the entire cohort scored A*s and As. However, Ardingly pupils performed extremely well across all subjects including an impressive 85% of pupils scoring A* in Latin. Director of Studies, Steve Allen, wanted, however, to stress that at Ardingly: “We educate the whole child with a focus on a broad education – rather than just on exam results and league tables. We are proud not only of this set of sparkling results but also our full range of achievements, including in music, drama and sports.”
