Record results secure top university places

2016 RECORD RESULTS AND TOP UNIVERSITY PLACES

Congratulations to our A Level and IB candidates who are celebrating outstanding results and admission to top universities in the UK and abroad.

The biggest cause of celebration is that 88% of our leavers have gained entry to their 1st choice university and 95% to either their 1st or 2nd choice. 

Top honours were shared between our A level and IB students.

• Milo Thursfield (IB) gained the maximum 45 points to secure his place at Oxford University to read PPE.  To put Milo’s achievement in context, only 0.3% of the 70,000 IB Diploma candidates globally achieve the maximum 45 points.
• Maddie Moore (IB) and Cecilia Zanna (IB) both achieved 44 points.  Maddie will take up her place at Oxford University to read Persian Studies and Cecilia at UCL to study Medicine. Miguel Rodriguez also secured his place for Medicine at UCL on 42 points and Alex Mitchener to read Biomedical Sciences at Imperial (38 points). Talia McPherson also achieved 42 points and secured places at both Berkeley and UCL to study Philosophy.
• Jasmine Hay (A Level) joins them at UCL to study History, Politics and Economics at UCL, having achieved a straight flush of A*s.
• Barney Anderson (A Level) gained A*A*A for Theology at Durham University and Ferdy Boucher (A Level) secured A*AAA to study Biomedical Sciences at Exeter.
• American and Canadian universities are increasingly popular with Ardingly students, and this year our leavers have been accepted onto courses at the University of Berkeley, the University of California in San Diego, the University of British Columbia, McGill and Boston University.

Headmaster Ben Figgis comments

We have heard much during the Olympics about the importance of marginal gains, and this is exactly what we are seeing at Ardingly.  Both our A Level and IB cohorts have shown an excellent collective work ethic and made the marginal gains that have secured them top grades and university places.

They have been a wonderful year group: talented, conscientious and humble. The most successful of them have never let it go to their heads, and they have all supported each other.  It is a real pleasure to see them secure their immediate futures with such success.

In the context of grades flat-lining nationally, it is pleasing to see our grades rise again this year and also to have students studying a such a wide range of subjects.  Over half our leavers took a Modern Language at either IB or A Level, 2/3rd studied Maths and 3/4rs a Science subject.  Candidates have achieved success in a wide variety of subjects, with Maths, History and Art leading the way at A Level this year and Spanish, English, Geography and Art in the IB Diploma.

Results headlines

• 60% of entries were graded at A*-A or the equivalent IB grades 7-6. 

Up from 52% in 2014 and 56% in 2015.

• 85% of entries were graded at A*-B or the equivalent IB grades 7-5.

Up from 78% in 2014 and 84% in 2015.

• 97% of entries were graded at A*-C or the equivalent IB grades 7-4. 

Up from 93% in 2014 and 96% in 2015.

In terms of UCAS points the 2016 cohort achieved a stunning average of 432 points, equivalent to A*A*A*, and again this figure has tracked up in recent years.

What gender gap?

Good news also that there is no perceivable gender gap in achievement at Ardingly.  At A Level, our girls just pipped the boys in A*s but the boys were ahead on the A*-A and A*-B counts.  In the IB Diploma the boys were also just ahead on 38 points compared to 37 for the girls.