UAE students relish success
ACROSS GEMS NETWORK, 208 STUDENTS ACHIEVE HIGHEST ‘9’ GRADE UNDER NEW SYSTEM, WITH OVER 500 AWARDED ACROSS ALL SCHOOLS
After much hard work and months of anticipation, grade 11 students across the UAE finally received their long-awaited IGCSE/GCSE results yesterday.
Many students and their parents rushed to their schools yesterday with many ripping open their envelopes hoping their hard work paid off.
A number students in several schools answered the exam under the new 9-1 grading structure, which has been implemented to make the IGCSE examinations more challenging.
A* to A grades are equivalent to grades 9 to 7 in the new structure, with grades 9 to 4 equivalent to A* to C.
Students from 17 GEMS Education schools recorded another successful year of IGSCE/ GCSE results, with Mahmoud Khalid Salah, an Egyptian expatriate student from GEMS Our Own English High School in Al Ain getting 13 A*.
This year, GEMS schools hosted a record 2,210 students answering IGSCE/GCSE exams. Of all grades achieved across the GEMS schools, 18 per cent were A* or 9-8, 39 per cent A*/A or 9-7 and 64 per cent A*-B or 9-5.
Across the GEMS network, 208 students achieved the highest ‘9’ grade with more than 500 awarded across all schools, 892 got an A* or 9-8 grade and 1,440 (65 per cent) of students achieved an A*/A or 9-7 grade.
Nadiah Zamri Nadiah of GEMS Wellington Academy, Al Khail who got 8 A* and 2As said she was speechless after getting her results.
“I was not sure how to react, but I cannot be more happier, proud and satisfied. I am grateful to God for the results as they reflect the hard work I’ve done throughout the academic years with the great support from my parents and teachers,” Nadiah said.
Among the GEMS schools, Jumeirah College achieved an extraordinary 202 A* (9) grades with 80 per cent of students gaining 9-8 grades.
“I couldn’t be more delighted. There is always an element of unknown with so many new specifications being taken this year. But these results confirm the outstanding quality of education and support which students receive here. To achieve 43 per cent 9/8 grades in the new specifications is stunning,” said Simon O’Connor, Principal of Jumeirah College.
Aldar Academies
Aldar Academies, recorded exceptional IGCSE results as 98 per cent of the group’s 188 IGCSE students achieved A* to C grades. Al Yasmina Academy of Al Dar Academies recorded 92 per cent A*, A grades by its 79 IGCSE students.
Its highest scoring student was Hana Ephremidze, form Georgia with 10A*, followed by Omar Mutaz Ahmad Zeidan from Jordan with 9A* and 2As.
The academy’s highest scoring Emirati student was Ahmad Abdullah Matouq Abdullah Al Hosani with 6A*, 4A and 1B.
“I was really nervous opening the envelope but it was a relief when I finally did,” said Al Hosani, who intends to study economics and politics at the London School of Economics.
“I am so proud of myself because I studied hard and put in extra hours of work at home and at school. We have great community of teachers at Al Yasmina Academy, who encouraged me from the beginning to help me succeed,” he added. Among 90 students of Al Bateen Academy of Al Dar Academies, 90 per cent got grades A* and A.
The academy reported a 100 per cent pass rate overall, with the highest achiever being Farah Abo Asali form Syria with 10A* and 1A.
Dubai College
Students of Dubai College achieved the highest results recorded at the school in the last five years.
This year, 88 per cent of students got A* — A and 66 per cent an A*.
“To achieve these results in the face of so much uncertainty with the tougher new courses and a new grading system must be a very reassuring endorsement of the College for our parents,” said Michael Lambert, Headmaster of Dubai College.
Kings School Al Barsha
Students at Kings School Al Barsha, where GCSE examinations have taken place for the second year, achieved a 62 per cent of A*-A grades.
This is an increase of 10 per cent in the school’s A*-A figures in 2017.
78 per cent of the students at the school got A*-B which was also a significant increase from the previous year.
Haya Hamwi of the Kings School got A* and A grades in all her subjects. “I worked really hard in the run-up to the exams and solved as many past papers as I could do with support from my teachers. I’m extremely thrilled with my results,” said Hamwi.
She aims to take subjects of Drama, English, Economics and French at A-levels next year, with the aim of keeping her option for a future career “wide open.”
Dubai British School
The students of Dubai British School (DBS) recorded the school’s best results, which are significantly above UK National Averages across all subjects.
At the DBS 47 per cent of students got A*-A grades, which is a seven per cent increase from last year, while 84 per cent of students achieved A* to B grades, showing a 15 per cent increase from 2017.
“In a year of significant reform to the GCSE qualifications, to not only sustain, but improve on previous year’s outstanding results is an achievement indeed and testament to the hard work and dedication of our excellent staff,” said Brendon Fulton, Principal of DBS.
Repton School Dubai
94 per cent students of Repton School Dubai, who sat in the IGCSE exams, got five or more A* to C grades. More than 29 per cent of the students got A* in all their subjects, the highest total so far in the school’s short history.
Timothy Hollis, Head of Senior School at Repton Dubai pointed out the school’s IGCSE results compare favourably with the best schools in the UK, highlighting that in Biology, Chemistry and Physics 80 per cent of students got A*-A.
“Following record-breaking results last year, this year’s results are outstanding yet again, with the benchmark set by KHDA (over 75% A*-B results). These results are testament to the pupils’ efforts, hard work and resilience to attain this level of success,” he said.