Academic Matters: Commentary on Examination Results
A Levels This summer’s results reflect to some degree the politically-motivated downward pressure on top grades that has been noted nationally, but are still the third-best in the School’s long history. 93% of all A level results were at A*, A or B grade and 68% were at A* or A.The average number of A level passes was 4.1. 17 students achieved a minimum of either three A* grades or two A*and two A grades. A further 9 achieved at least three A grades of which two were A*. A further 21 achieved at least three A grades of which one was at A*. 69 students achieved 3 or more A grades or better, of whom 19 achieved 4 or more. The great majority of students met the conditional offers for their first-choice university, including 15 holding offers from Oxford or Cambridge. Notable individual performances were recorded by Tom de Sousa, who achieved 3 A*s at A level, an A in the Extended Project and two additional A grades at AS; Tom Foxton, who recorded two A* grades and two As at a level, plus an A* in the Extended Project and an A grade at AS; Harry Hamer, who achieved four A* grades at A level, plus another in the Extended Project with two more A grades at AS; Matthew Harrison, who scored three A* grades at A level and a Distinction 1 in the Pre-U French with two more A grades at AS; Daniel Heydecker, who achieved three A* grades and an A at A level, an A* in the Extended Project, an A grade at AS and the maximum possible “S” grade in all three of the exceptionally demanding Cambridge STEP papers in Maths; Hannah Moran, with three A* grades and an A at A level, plus an A at AS; Jonathan Phillips, with three A* grades and two more A grades at AS; Emma Russell, Mark Sadler and Patrick Shammas, all with three A* grades and an A at A level, plus two A grades at AS; James Sinclair, who achieved three A* grades and an A at A level with a further A* in the Extended Project and two more A grades at AS, and Kieran Vaghela acheived 3A* and an A, as well as an A in the extended project. He also recorded a D1 in the Pre-U French and A grades in Critical Thinking and General Studies.
GCSE For the sixth year running, the School’s students achieved more than 80% A* and A grades, despite a national picture in which the top grades have been deliberately made harder to get. The average score per entry is well above an A grade. 16 boys achieved at least 10 A* grades, of whom four, Oluwaseun Adekoya, Ben Harley, Declan Houten and Noah Lipschitz, added a further A grade, whilst Harry Sampson went one better with 11 straight A*s. In total, 40 boys achieved 10 or more GCSEs with no grade lower than A.
After St Albans Marc Foster (2009) has been awarded a First Class Degree in Economics by University of Nottingham. Ben Fyson (2009) has been awarded a First Class Degree in French and German by the University of Bath. Nathaniel Samson (2009) has been awarded a First Class Degree in English by St Catherine’s College, Oxford. James Batholomeusz (2010) has been awarded a First Class Degree in English by the University of Exeter. He has also published his first novel, The White Fox, and is working on its sequel. Alex Rutherford (2010) has been awarded a First Class Degree in History by the University of Warwick. He came second in his entire year (of nearly 100 students), and achieved a First class mark on all 8 modules - including an 81 on his dissertation on the US Civil Rights Movement. David Phillips (2010) has been awarded a First in Part II of the Maths Tripos at Queens’ College, Cambridge. Philip Ruis (2012) has achieved a First in his first year exams reading Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.