St Leonards teenager shows brilliant mind

Oliver Eve part of a record-breaking crop of pupils to score highly in Baccalaureate

A Fife teenager is among the world’s highest achievers.

Oliver Eve, pictured, who comes from Largo, scored 44 points out of a maximum possible of 45, in the international Baccalaureate diploma exams.

Out of 150,000 candidates, this means the St Leonards pupil is in the top 0.6% of diploma recipients from around the world.

For Oliver, his outstanding grade means he will now head straight into the second year of a marine biology course at Aberdeen University.

Other St Leonards pupils also performed very well.

These include two who scored 42 points – Pittenweem’s David Behrens who is off to study music at Edinburgh University and Emilie Rapport-Munro from St Andrews who will be reading biological science at Oxford.

Head girl Laura Ferrier from Strathkinnes scored 41 points and heads to Cambridge to study geography.

They are part of a record-breaking year for the sixth formers as an 86% achieved scores equivalent to A*, A or B at A Level.

The 2016 world average score for the IB diploma is 30 while at the St Andrews school the average is 34.

Headmaster Dr Michael Carslaw was thrilled with the achievement.

“I am extremely proud of the hard work of our students and staff,” he said.

“To put our average score into context, a typical offer from Oxford University can be 38 or 39 points, so this really is an excellent set of results for the school and our students who are destined for universities across the globe.”

Dr Carslaw said grades achieved reflect the “inclusive nature” of the diploma programme at St Leonards.

It played to the strengths of students of a range of abilities, talents and specialisms, he said.

“While we have an impressive number of very high achievers, we also see students exceed their own expectations and we are delighted they have gained places at universities in Scotland and around the world which really value the IB and the critical thinking it draws out in our students.

“The qualification does not only measure academic rigour, but also emphasises the importance of soft skills, such as communication, collaboration and teamwork, all an essential part of a syllabus which equips them for life beyond school.”

This is the 19th year St Leonards has been offering the IB diploma, a two-year internationally recognised qualification completed in the sixth form.

To put our average score into context, a typical offer from Oxford University can be 38 or 39 points. DR MICHAEL CARSLAW