STUDENTS have received their A-level results and there was plenty to smile about, with around one in four entries achieving the top grades.
The proportion of pupils awarded an A grade or above has risen to an all-time high after exams were cancelled for the second year in a row due to Covid-19.
At Varndean College in Brighton, friends Tallulah Armani and Ella Joyce both got the grades they wanted and were looking forward to celebrating together after a “tough year” of online and in-person teaching.
Ella, 18, achieved three A*s and will take a gap year before moving to Scotland to study history at the University of Edinburgh while Tallulah, 18, is also planning her gap year and will study English literature with creative writing at Goldsmith’s University in London in September next year.
Both said coronavirus meant their college experience was different to what they had expected.
Ella said: “It was very stressful, and it was definitely not a natural learning environment. It’s not something I would like to repeat but Varndean did us so proud and we did have a lovely, lovely time.”
The nerves quickly melted away for fellow Varndean student Omar Abd El Maboud, 19, as he found out he had achieved three A*s.
Omar has already started preparing for his move to the University of Bristol where he still study neuroscience.
“It was quite challenging at first with the pandemic, but you kind of get used to it,” he said.
“It’s a different way to study but I think if you put your mind to it, you can adapt and get used to it and you just have to change your approach to your studies. You just have to carry on and I managed to do it so I’m really happy.”
It was an especially emotional day for Morgan Sadler, a student at the W6 Sixth Form at the Sir Robert Woodard Academy in Lancing.
He sealed his dream place at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, to study engineering after achieving three A*s in maths, further maths and physics.
Morgan said he “was pretty sure he would do all right” and was quietly confident he would get in, but was relieved to sign in to see the final offer in black and white.
Meanwhile, high-achieving twins at Roedean School were looking forward to a night partying in Brighton to celebrate their results.
Eloise and Jemima Goddard achieved five As and an A* between them.
They said they were "very nervous" on the drive to school. Along the way, Jemima was able to see what she'd achieved through the online UCAS portal but Eloise forgot her password and had to spend rest of the nerve-wracking drive unaware of her results while her sister celebrated three As.
However, she soon joined her sister in celebrating after achieving two As and one A*.
Eloise will study at the University of Edinburgh in September while Jemima takes a gap year.
At Bhasvic, in Dyke Road, Brighton, Amanda Kangai said she will “always be grateful” to her teachers for helping her to succeed.
Two A*s and two As in computer science, physics, maths and further maths mean the 18-year-old will study engineering at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
Amanda thanked her old secondary school, Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, after opening the highly anticipated brown envelope.
She said: “Cambridge is the top UK university for engineering and with the support of the teaching staff from BACA and Bhasvic I was confident that I could make a competitive application.
"I will always be grateful to all the teachers at BACA for the support and encouragement.
"BACA definitely gave me the best five years I could ever possibly ask or wish for.”
Other high achievers in Sussex include Sukriti Ray and Lucy Spiers from Steyning Grammar School, who have received offers to study medicine.
Lucy, who achieved three A* will study at the University of Bristol and Sukriti, with A*A*A*B, will be staying in the city to study at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
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