Boys at Queen Elizabeth’s School have consolidated last year’s record-breaking A-level achievements with another emphatic performance at the very highest grade.
In total, 229 A* grades were awarded out of the 506 A-levels taken in Year 13. The proportion gaining this highest-possible grade stands at 45.3%, second only to 2018’s best-ever figure of 46.9%. 86.2% of grades were at A*-A.
The proportion of A*-B grades – a benchmark measure used widely by the country’s leading schools – remained above the 95% threshold, where it has now been for a remarkable 14 consecutive years.
QE pupils also excelled in Year 12 at AS-level: 82.7% of the 606 examinations taken were given grade A (the highest AS grade), which is QE’s best-ever figure.
Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My huge congratulations go to the boys and their teachers on a very good set of results: this is another happy day of great celebration at QE.
“Having secured their places on degree courses through achieving the grades they required, many of our leavers will now be going on to leading universities in the UK and abroad.
“And this year’s AS results, with our highest-ever percentage of A grades, will spur many of the Year 12 boys on to be even more ambitious this autumn in their university applications.”
Among the A-level results, highlights were:
- A large increase in the number of boys gaining A* in Mathematics, from 56 last year to 76 in 2019, or 62% of the candidates
- Further gains on last year’s strong figures in subjects including Geography, Art, Physics and Politics
- The inclusion of Latin among the subjects taken, for the first time in several decades. It follows the School’s reintroduction of Latin in the Lower School in 2012.
“QE really is a state school like no other, offering a very broad experience in the Sixth Form – not just A-levels, but also AS and the Extended Project Qualification, as well as a host of enriching activities including sport, music, drama and opportunities to participate in competitive events up and down the country and internationally,” said Mr Enright.
“Strong examination results are certainly important, but we keep them in their proper perspective, recognising that they are in many ways a happy by-product of bringing together the brightest minds, both boys and teachers, in an environment that cultivates intellectual curiosity and rigorous scholarship. Moreover, boys at QE are grounded and spirited, not stuffy. And they are witty, too: we laugh a lot at the School!
“This is a very exciting period in our history, in which we are reaping the rewards of the thoroughgoing work that has been done over recent years to regain the School’s high standing. QE is the reigning top state school in the Sunday Times Parent Power survey; recent Government analysis showed that we sent more pupils to Russell Group universities than any other state school over the past three years, and we are also the top selective school when measured by the Department for Education’s Progress 8 figure, which charts academic progress between the last year of primary school and GCSEs. Furthermore, we have recently had the exciting news of the success of our funding application for a new Music School – a major addition to our facilities,” Mr Enright concluded.