A remarkable 98.4% of A-levels taken at Queen Elizabeth’s School in 2015 were graded A*-B. The figure represents QE’s second-best performance ever and means that the widely recognised A*-B benchmark figure for the School has topped 98% for three of the last four years.
Almost four out of every ten A-levels taken at QE this year (39.6%) gained the very highest A* grade, compared to 36.7% last year, while 84.9% received A* or A grades (82.4% in 2014).
Congratulating the 142 Year 13 leavers, Headmaster Neil Enright said: “These superb results are a testament to the strength of character of our boys. For achievement at the very highest level, natural intelligence on its own is not enough; qualities such as grit, resilience and self-control are essential, too. These boys have been a joy to teach because they have those attributes.
“I would like to thank my inspirational colleagues for helping the pupils to cultivate such qualities; the achievement of these outstanding examination results should be seen as a by-product of that process of character development. The contribution of our teachers in gently guiding boys to discover where their academic and wider interests lie through encouraging them to take part in extra-curricular opportunities at the School must also be recognised.”
Top State School – The Daily Telegraph, Friday 14 August 2015
Top State School – The Times, Friday 14 August 2015
Triumph for boys who thrive on competition – The Times, Friday 14 August 2015
The extra-curricular opportunities include not only clubs and societies, but also the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), which has been for a number of years a popular option among many QE pupils. New figures released this month show that a record number of sixth-formers nationally are thought to have taken the dissertation-based qualification this year in pursuit of university places.
Among the large number of individual success stories at QE is former School Captain, Adam Hilsenrath, who gained an A* for his EPQ project on the impact of Emperor Constantine on Roman Christianity.
Adam will be taking up a place to read History at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, this autumn, having gained A* grades in English, Maths and Politics, and an A in History. Adam has shown great character by carving out the time to play the piano, get involved in School debating and play rugby, as well as chairing the School’s Jewish Society, writing online for the Jewish Chronicle and, since 2009, running a weekly children’s service at Elstree’s Ohr Yisrael Synagogue.
Milan Kundra earned straight A*s in his four subjects, Biology, Chemistry, German and Mathematics, which not only meets the requirements for a place at Imperial College London to read Chemistry but also means he will receive Imperial’s President’s Scholarship. “The scholarship gives me £3,000 in the first year and also means I become an Ambassador for Imperial,” he says.
Milan chose to complete his EPQ on limb regeneration in urodeles (an animal grouping that includes salamanders) – a “crazy” topic that fascinates him, not least because it is so little understood. “I have always wondered why we as humans cannot regrow limbs, so studying the animals that can is really interesting.”
Looking back on his time at QE, Milan said he found it “extremely rewarding, but challenging”. He certainly threw himself into School life, taking part in clubs for badminton, science, engineering, languages and table tennis, to name just a few.
Analysis of the A-level results reveals that:
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- This year’s results are the School’s second best-ever, beaten only by the fractionally higher 98.5% of A*-B grades achieved in 2012
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- The 98.4% of A-levels gaining A* or B grades in 2015 is up 2.4% from last year’s 96%
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- There were 490 A-level entries this year, compared to 471 last year
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- Mathematics was the most popular subject, with 125 boys taking this subject, followed by Chemistry, which was taken by 73 boys.
A-level results 2015: results from 400 state schools, The Telegraph Online, Monday 17 August 2015
Wait is over for A-level students at QE boys who are heading to Oxford and Cambridge, Barnet Times, Thursday 13 August 2015
Harrow students kick off the celebrations as first round of results flood in, Harrow Times, Thursday 13 August 2015