SUMMARY OF 2024 EXAMINATION RESULTS
Congratulations to all our 2023/24 examination students on their excellent results. These are a clear reflection of the diligence and hard work they have applied to their studies, alongside support from parents, family, teachers and tutors.
Full results tables can be found on page 16.
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
The 2023/24 cohort for the International Baccalaureate achieved an average of 37.4 points out of a maximum of 45.
15 candidates also gained 40 or more points.
A LEVEL
92% of all grades awarded were A* to B and 13 A Level students gained A* grades in all their subjects.
Combined with the International Baccalaureate results, nearly two thirds of all grades awarded to this cohort have been A*/A or the 7/6 Higher Level IB equivalents.
BTEC NATIONAL DIPLOMA
BTEC students in Sport and Exercise Science achieved excellent results, with all grades being Distinctions or D*. All candidates are set to continue to top universities.
GCSE
87% of all grades awarded were at 7/ 8 / 9, with 42% of grades being a 9.
20 students achieved grade 9s in all their entries and 40 attained at least 9 GCSEs at grade 9.
49 pupils completed the challenging Additional Mathematics qualification, with 42 obtaining the top grade.
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH QUALIFICATIONS
Developing independent research and presentation skills are vital for future study at university and beyond. Students at Whitgift are offered the opportunity to study for the EPQ alongside their A Levels. Those taking part in the IB route also complete a serious research project in a topic of their choosing.
EPQ (Extended Project Qualification)
The Extended Project Qualification is now an integral part of the Sixth Form curriculum, with all A Level students taking an EPQ as a natural part of their programme of study, unless they continue with four subjects right through to the Upper Sixth. This engenders a culture of inquiry and intellectual curiosity which has a positive knock-on effect to the students’ wider approach to the curriculum. Guidance is given in terms of good practice in research methods and effective referencing of sources, but pupils essentially work independently on their chosen project.
As usual, a wide variety of topics were selected, ranging from ‘To what extent has Franco’s legacy impacted Spanish politics and society today?’ to ‘How reliable is the belief that Alexander the Great acted as a great King during the invasion of Asia?’
IB Extended Essay
The Extended Essay challenges students to produce a 4,000-word essay which encapsulates their wider academic passions. While nurturing skills vital for university and beyond, such as in-depth research, independent thought, and well-honed essay writing, students have the opportunity to develop their ability to write a critical, academic essay on a topic they are passionate about. This year’s cohort has offered up an engaging and incredibly varied array of works; from the experimental investigation of the maximum induced voltage across a wire, to how Virginia Woolf portrays the relationship between humanity and the natural world in To The Lighthouse , and even an investigation into the economic viability and chemical efficiency of solar cells in Australia. An impressive number of students were awarded the highest possible grade in the Extended Essay this year: Taira Coleman, Maxime Cushnie, Rafi Davis, Khalid Kamaluden, Shuhei Negishi, Lucian Ng, Arav Patel, Daniel Shnaydman, Guanting Wen, Clarence Wong, Gilbert Wright all attained A Grades. All students produced superb, thoughtful explorations and have gained considerable expertise in their field of investigation.
IB THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a course in epistemology for IB students, representing half of the ‘bonus’ core points. Students study how knowledge is produced, evaluated and communicated in academic disciplines spanning Mathematics to the creative arts – and immerse themselves in the themes of Politics and Technology, which influence and are influenced by knowledge across the world.
Further accomplishments are to be found amongst submissions for the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) assessment. Students were asked to produce both an in person ‘Exhibition’ and an essay in which they reflect on ‘how we know what we claim to know’. In the exhibition a number of students achieved the highest possible grade showing their ability to interrogate the biases, perspectives and nuances of questions raised by the world around us. Objects were linked to questions such as ‘Can there be knowledge which is independent of culture?’ or ‘How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement on past knowledge?’ In the essay, students approached questions such as ‘Do we need Custodians of Knowledge?’ and ‘Do we underestimate the challenges of taking knowledge out of its original context?’ Special mentions must go to Nemo Al-Qaq, Morgan Candeland, Danny Grenfell, Shuhei Negishi, Jay Raymond, Sergio Roccia, Clarence Wong, and Olly Wong, who were awarded the highest possible mark in both examined sections of TOK.
STEM
This year saw numerous activities in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and fantastic results were achieved in National competitions in these areas.
Spectra Magazine
Following its successful launch last year, Spectra Magazine , Whitgift’s student-led publication focusing on STEM, has now released its second edition. Lower Sixth students, led by Punit Soni (Upper Sixth Form), wrote, edited and designed the entire magazine. The latest edition covers a wide array of topics, including the physics of biological neurons, quantum mechanics, and a fascinating analysis of musical waveform data from Bottesini’s Double Bass Concerto No. 1 .
MATHEMATICS
Hans Woyda Mathematics Competition
This challenge is an interschool competition consisting of 64 schools across London, with each school represented by a team of four students (one from First to Third Form, one from Fourth or Fifth Form, one from each of the Lower and Upper Sixth).
Schools are arranged into 16 groups of four schools, with the winner of each group progressing into the knock-out stage for the cup. You need to win all three matches to progress to the cup
Whitgift made it through all of the knockout stages, winning the last-16, quarter and semi-finals matches, reaching the final of the competition, where they narrowly lost.
Senior Mathematics Challenge
26 Gold / 31 Silver / 37 Bronze (93% of entries achieving a certificate)
23 Senior Kangaroo Qualifiers
3 British Mathematical Olympiad 1 Qualifiers
Senior Kangaroo – 7 Merits
British Mathematical Olympiad 1 – 2 Merits
Intermediate Mathematics Challenge
339 Gold / 43 Silver / 35 Bronze (94% of entries achieving a certificate)
8 Grey Kangaroo Qualifiers (Third Form)
24 Pink Kangaroo Qualifiers (Fourth and Fifth Form)
3 Cayley Olympiad Qualifiers (Third Form)
1 Hamilton Olympiad Qualifier (Fourth Form)
3 Maclaurin Olympiad Qualifiers (Fifth Form)
Grey Kangaroo – 3 Merits
Pink Kangaroo – 6 Merits
Cayley Olympiad – 1 Distinction with a Gold Medal, 1 Merit
Hamilton Olympiad – 1 Merit
Maclaurin Olympiad – 1 Distinction, 1 Merit
Junior Mathematics Challenge
43 Gold / 37 Silver / 31 Bronze (84% of entries achieving a certificate)
22 Junior Kangaroo Qualifiers
2 Junior Olympiad Qualifiers
Junior Kangaroo – 5 Merits
Junior Maths Olympiad – 1 Distinction with a Bronze Medal
BIOLOGY
Whitgift Diploma for Biomedical Science
Whitgift is committed to improving opportunities for talented students from all backgrounds to be able to access its exceptional education. Whitgift Diploma for Biomedical Science (Whitgift BioMED) is an introductory interdisciplinary diploma course covering aspects of Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Developmental Biology and Neuroscience. This universitystyle programme is delivered through practical experiments, independent study and weekly lectures by pioneering academics from King’s College London, University College London, University of Cambridge and Whitgift. The programme is aimed at students with significant academic potential who wish to develop scholarship, intellectual agility and academic confidence.
Whitgift student results - 12 Distinction / 5 Merit / 4 Pass
All student results – 23 Distinction / 11 Merit / 11 Pass
BIOLOGY (CONT…)
Biology Challenge (Fourth Form)
13 Gold / 13 Silver / 57 Bronze
Biology Challenge (Fourth Form)
15 Gold / 25 Silver / 35 Bronze
Biology Intermediate Biology Olympiad (Lower Sixth)
1 Silver / 2 Bronze / 2 Highly Commended
Biology Olympiad (Sixth Form)
3 Silver / 7 Bronze / 6 Highly Commended
CHEMISTRY
Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad
1 Gold / 15 Silver / 20 Bronze
Cambridge Chemistry Challenge
7 Gold / 6 Silver / 5 Copper
PHYSICS
Junior Physics Challenge | Senior Online Physics Challenge
7 Gold / 14 Silver / 15 Bronze
Senior Physics Challenge
3 Gold / 6 Silver / 32 Bronze
British Physics Olympiad Round 1
4 Gold / 6 Silver / 6 Bronze
COMPUTER SCIENCE
The British Algorithmic Olympiad
The British Algorithmic Olympiad (BAO) is a new annual competition in Mathematics and Computer Science for school pupils in the UK.
The Perse Coding Team Challenge
Testing programming prowess when you battle teams across the UK.
UK Bebras Challenge
Designed to encourage and challenge logical thinking and problemsolving skills, organised by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and in partnership with University of Oxford. 105 students achieved a distinction award in the country, including four Whitgift students: Aleksandr Dobrovolskii, Louie Lam, Chi Hei Leung and Fergus Manz.
DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING
Arkwright Engineering Scholarship Awards 2024–26 (Lower Sixth Form)
Shun Yu Chan
Alex Denman
Ethan Gilbert
Arkwright Engineering Scholarship Awards 2023–25 (Upper Sixth Form)
Amir Gulubayli
William Stapleton
MycetOS
RESEARCH PROJECT
This is an open-source research project undertaken by Lower Sixth science students, synthesizing molecules to be tested as potential cures for Mycetoma (a group of progressively destructive infectious diseases of the subcutaneous tissues). Students undertake practical work in pairs, working to a university standard. If a ‘run’ is completed the sample goes to UCL to be tested to see if the target molecule has been made.
The students listed below had one or more successful runs, which went to UCL for further testing.
Scofield Chan
Patrick Daly
Yunis Khedraoui
Aaron Mohindra
Quentin Sauve
Nicholas Seal
Ashvak Sivashanmuganathan
Punit Soni
James Weston
Benjamin Verrills
Scofield Chan, Yunis Khedraoui, Quentin Sauve, and James Weston also progressed to having their samples sent for testing in Rotterdam
HISTORY & POLITICS
John Locke Essay Competition
Hector Bernard, Thomas Lofthouse and Jake Morrice (Lower Sixth Formers) were shortlisted for the John Locke Essay Competition in the fields of History and Politics.
Pravda
The newest edition of Pradva was published – a student-led magazine focussing on History and Politics. This year the theme of ‘Memory and Legacy’ was explored through different historical and political lens. Edited by Andrew Dokoupil and Vatsa Dubey (Lower Sixth Formers), this edition collected a large number of student articles covering topics as diverse as the fall of the last Islamic Caliphate to the legacy of Simón Bolívar.
The Politics Outlook
This year also saw the launch of The Politics Outlook, a new branch of Academic Enrichment at Whitgift. This programme has been designed and led by Vatsa Dubey (Lower Sixth Form) with the aim of increasing youth political engagement, raise awareness about key political issues which will affect young people in the future, and educate about the dangers of echo chambers and social media as a source for political information.
Dozens of workshops for all Third Formers have been delivered over the course of the academic year, run by Lower Sixth students. Surveys show that 97% of students thought the workshop boosted their understanding of the UK political framework, and 86% said they are more likely to actively seek different perspectives and sources of information. In total, more than 350 Whitgiftians have engaged with the programme.
A website has also been launched for articles to be written by any student, along with a podcast series which has explored topics such as foreign affairs, the recent general election and case studies of how young people are impacted by echo chambers. The programme continues to thrive within Whitgift, with a new group of Lower Sixth being appointed to lead the operation into its next phase.
GEOGRAPHY
Young Geographer of the Year: Rafe Worsfold (Lower Sixth Form) came runner-up during the 2024 YGY award and was presented his certificate by television presenter Tom Heap during the annual ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society, London.
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology Fair
A group of Lower Sixth Form pupils organised and ran a Psychology Fair for Fifth Form students, providing them with a valuable opportunity to experience the subject first-hand. The fair featured a range of engaging activities, allowing the younger students to participate in key psychological experiments and explore fundamental theories. This initiative not only sparked their interest in Psychology but also gave them a deeper understanding of the subject’s practical applications.
Whitgift Behavioural Insights Team
A new co-curricular Psychology club has been established and is thriving with strong participation from numerous Lower Sixth Form students. This club, known as the Whitgift Behavioural Insights Team, has become a platform for pupils to explore their passion for psychology, social change, and positively impacting the School community. The club leverages psychological research to tackle various challenges within the School, promote wellbeing, and create a more inclusive and supportive environment. Members have been actively involved in meaningful projects, such as improving attendance and punctuality, demonstrating their commitment to applying psychological principles to real-world school issues.
LANGUAGES
Whitgift has an exceptionally rich provision for languages, both on the curriculum and in the co-curricular sphere. The innovative curriculum sees pupils study three distinct languages in the First Form and results in high numbers applying to university to read Modern Languages or Linguistics.
Oxford German Olympiad
This competition aims to showcase the best German language learners in UK secondary schools. This year’s competition task focussed on Kafkaesque creatures, with creative tasks ranging from writing about a day in your life as an animal to designing a conference about eating animal products.
Stephen Spender Translation Prize
Created in memory of the English poet, novelist and essayist Stephen Spender, this competition requires applicants to translate a poem in any foreign language into English. Several Whitgift students entered with poems translated from Cantonese, Mandarin, Italian, French, German and Urdu.
The Aristotelian Award
A competition run by the Perse School that invites Third Form students to submit a research essay from a choice of essay titles. The competition promotes independent research and essay writing skills.
UK Linguistics Olympiad (UKLO)
This fiendishly difficult three-hour brain-teaser tests pupils’ ability to decipher unusual or made-up languages. Huge congratulations to the four pupils who achieved bronze medals this year: Thomas Bennett, Alexander Blonski-Rulach, Scofield Chan and William Cheng (Lower Sixth Formers).
THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY
Oxford University Spanish Flash Fiction Competition
In this competition, students take on the complex challenge of writing a short story in no more than 100 words. Highly Commended – Oliver John (Lower Sixth Form)
Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK Lochlann Hamilton (Fourth Form) and Eric Taylor (Lower Sixth Form) were both selected as finalists of this competition. Lochlann created an engaging video about his passions and talents. Eric delivered a speech to a live audience about why he believes Japan should remain a cash-dominant country, coping superbly with tough questions from the panel of judges.
Joûtes Oratoires
This year Whitgift hosted the regional heat of the national Joûtes Oratoires, a French debating competition for Sixth Formers. Two Whitgift teams performed extremely well against teams from a plethora of other independent schools from the South-East of the UK.
Heritage Speakers
Whitgift has a long tradition of supporting heritage speakers (those who speak a language at home) or those with significant acquired expertise (eg. those who have spent some years in an education system outside the UK) in improving their knowledge of those languages. Tailored off-timetable sessions focus on writing skills, learning grammar formally and deepening cultural knowledge, thereby freeing up room on the timetable for those pupils to pursue other subjects. 74 of our Fourth and Fifth Form are being supported in this way to enable them to sit additional GCSE qualifications in their heritage languages, while a large number of Sixth Formers are also supported with additional A-Level qualifications.
University
We regularly send a large number of pupils off to university to study Languages-related courses. We currently have dozens of former pupils studying Languages at Russell Group universities as well as former pupils studying Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Turkish, Persian, Linguistics and Modern Greek at Oxford and Cambridge, and former pupils studying Arabic, Spanish and Chinese at Princeton and Stanford.
North Eastern University Essay Competition
In the North Eastern University Essay Competition: Omar Arif, Jack Dillon, Charlie Kennedy, Thomas Lofthouse, Kelvin Okunmwendia and Felix Warren (Lower Sixth Formers) were all highly commended and finalists.
ECONOMICS
Issue 12 of the award-winning Whitonomics magazine was published last year, with Eldon Tse (Lower Sixth Form) having taken on the role of Chief Editor. An excellent range of articles were written by students from all parts of the School, including a feature article written collaboratively by the Junior Economics Society. Articles written included discussions on the Gig Economy, an analysis of the expansion of the EU, and the crises afflicting a number of English Rugby clubs.
ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT
Academic Enrichment at Whitgift has continued to grow. Our unwavering desire that students should take increasing responsibility for their own intellectual development has meant that three different Academic Enrichment groups meet each week and students in all year groups are able to explore anything and everything that sparks their curiosity. Another 50 academic articles have been produced and published in the fifth volume of our very own academic journal, and the sixth edition will be released in November 2024. Electronic editions of The Journal can be found on Whitgift’s website.
Highlights of the year included:
> What would have happened if the West Indies Federation had never dissolved? – Alexander Hallett (Second Form)
> Beyond the borders: navigating the cosmos and evolving space law –Oliver McGuinness (Fourth Form)
> Is the sea a soup? – Nicky Hewlett (Second Form)
> The Gunpowder Plot: a Fawkes Perspective – Jack Vaughan (Second Form)
> To what extent does identity lead to conflict? – Frederick GilbertHodd (Third Form)
> Who am I? An exploration of identity – Alife Roberts (First Form)
> The neglected province: to what extent did Rome’s disregard of Judea contribute to the Jewish Revolt? – Charlie Kennedy (Lower Sixth Form)
We have also been able to once again invite speakers to visit Whitgift.
Dr Dean Burnett, Neuroscientist
Professor Brian Cox, Physicist
Professor William Doyle, Historian
Dr Miranda Griffin, Medievalist
Katja Hoyer, Historian
The Right Honourable Stuart Lawrence, Author and Activist
Dr Stephen Law, Philosopher
Dr Paul Merchant, Linguist
Tomiwa Owolade, Writer and Critic
Professor Richard Schilling, Consultant Cardiologist at St Bart’s
Dr James Suzman, Anthropologist
