Aug 13 – Roars Of Delight For A-Level Students
Students from Bayside, Westside and the Gibraltar College received their A-Level results today, with an increase in the number of passes across all three schools.
The pass rate A* - E was up from 2014 to 96 % consistent with the general pattern observed over the last three years.
Six students, Francesca Makey and Simran Chhugani, from Westside School, and Nilesh Chhatwani, Daniel Licudi, Kieron Martinez and Shannon Feetham from Bayside, were named this year’s Gibraltar Scholars for achieving three or more A grades.
Francesca, 18, is off to the University of York to study English, and hopes to come back to Gibraltar to become an English teacher. She achieved an A* for English Literature, an A for Religion Studies, Spanish and History of Art.
She said: “I am looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends at university. This has been really good and the teachers have been a great support. If you work hard for your grades everything will pay off in the end.”
Simran, 18, is off to the University of Southampton to study medicine. She gained three As for Biology, Chemistry and French, and a B for Physics.
She said: “I’ve wanted to study medicine since I was 11 years old, and I’m so glad I’m finally able to do it. I’m looking forward to starting my course, making new friends and living in a new place. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support from the teachers. During my A-Levels it felt more like family.”
Nilesh, 18, achieved an A* in Mathematics and two As for Business Studies and Chemistry. He is off to the London School of Economics to study Accounting and Finance.
He said: “Bayside has been a good place and I’ve made good friends. I am looking forward to going to a new place to meet new people and I know I have to work hard because I know it’s going to be competitive at LSE.”
Headteachers Michelle Barabich from Westside School and Colin Skinner from Bayside School, as well as Principal Leon Abecasis from the College of Further Education are proud of their pupils’ achievements.
This year, Westside School is offering students a helpdesk service to help them with the clearing process if they failed to get into their first choice of universities.
Mrs Barabich said: “We feel that there is more and more stress and pressure on the students to get through the clearing process, and we need to be there for them and support them.”
Each of the three schools had an increase of 2% in the overall pass rate compared to last year. Top grades of A* - B have been predicted in the UK to suffer a drop. Despite this, Bayside actually achieved an increase of 2% in the pass rate for the top grades.
Minister for Education, Gilbert Licudi QC, welcomed the results and said: “There are many positive elements in these results. A considerable number of our students will go off to take up places at some of the top Universities in the UK. Credit must be given to the students as well as to the teaching and support staff.
“It is, however, inevitable that there will be some students who are disappointed with their results. They will require help and guidance in the coming weeks as they seek to secure a university place through the Clearing process.
They should rest assured that all necessary help will be afforded by their teachers and by senior staff at the Department of Education.”
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