A-LEVEL RESULTS
THE RESULTS ARE IN!
Ilkley Grammar School students celebrate excellent results following today's publication of A-level, AS and other Level 3 qualifications.
Once again 6th form students across the country have faced uncertainty going into results day, with the government and exam boards making it clear that results this year will be more in line with 2019 outcomes. This is in spite of the fact that the pandemic still casts a shadow over this cohort who did not sit GCSE exams in 2021.
However, this year, Ilkley Grammar School A level students have performed better than in 2019 by every measure with the overall pass rate and outcomes at A*-B and A*-C also higher than in 2020 (Centre Assessed Grades), with the vast majority securing places at their chosen university, apprenticeship or employment.
With almost one third of all A-Level grades at A/A* this year, IGS students continue to perform exceptionally well, exceeding national standards where the overall percentage of grades in England at the highest levels fell to 26.5%. Indeed, with 63% of all A-level grades at A*-B (England 52.7%), 83% at A*-C (England 75.4%), alongside an overall pass rate of 99.3% (England 97.2%) and allowing for the anomalous covid years, the class of 2023 have continued the year on year upward trend in results at IGS since 2017-18 with the overall average grade remaining at a B grade.
Students completing Level 3 BTEC qualifications also secured a range of extremely creditable results with students on these courses securing an average grade of Merit+. Hannah Arfan, Daisy Kittle, Molly Littlejohn and Charley Rennison all secured Distinction*/Distinction in Health & Social Care and 5 students including George Barker, Robyn Murgatroyd and Jess Waddington also secured Distinction* in Media.
There were also some outstanding individual performances including 6 students who achieved A* grades across all of their full A-Level courses: Elise Abbott (A*A*A*A* English & French, Oxford); Joseph Leach (A*A*A*A*, Maths, Oxford); Aidan Lee-Wardell (A*A*A*, Engineering, Warwick); Dan Logan (A*A*A*A* Engineering, Cambridge); Alfie Purnell (A*A*A*, Degree-level Apprenticeship at Alvarez and Marsal) and Jonathan Wood (A*A*A*A* Maths, Durham).
A further 22 students secured A*/A in all their A level/BTEC level 3 subjects including: Rossukhon Anderson; Aminah Aziz; Jessica Bragg; Madeleina Clarke; Will Duffield; Maddie Eccles; Anna Fazackerley; Esme Gutch; Katie Haskins; Aphra Hicks; Izzy Jackson; Taher Khedapa; Joel Mundet-Poole; Martha Pearson; Eleanor Riley; Harry Shaw; Ben Shelley; Jamie Shelton; Will Spivey and Lara Woffindin.
IGS students have therefore secured places on numerous exciting courses at a very wide range of universities and providers including: Accounting & Finance; Aerospace Engineering; Ancient History; Animal Biology and Conservation; Architectural Studies; Art History; Audiology; Biochemistry; Biomedical Sciences; Business and Management; Celtic and English Literature; Chemical Engineering; Computer Games Technologies; Costume Design; Ecology and Conservation; Entrepreneurship; Environmental Geo-science; Fashion Buying & Marketing; Film Production; International Relations; Japanese; Journalism; Modern Design; Music Production; Natural Sciences; Neuroscience; Pharmacy; PPE; Physiotherapy; Real Estate; Russian Studies; Social Anthropology; Sound Engineering; Sports Management & Marketing; Urban Design and Zoology.
As of results day, 10 students have successfully secured their offers for Oxford or Cambridge including Elise Abbott (English Literature and French, Oxford); Thomas Abel (History, Oxford); William Duffield (Natural Sciences, Cambridge); Esme Gutch (English Language & Literature, Oxford); Sean Hayes (English, Cambridge); Taher Khedapa (Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge); Joseph Leach (Mathematics, Oxford); Dan Logan (Engineering, Cambridge) and Charlotte McCarthy (Natural Sciences, Cambridge).
In addition, 4 students secured places on courses in medicine, including Thomas Hills (Medicine, UEA), Lara Woffindin (Medicine, Warwick) and Isobel Reynolds (Medicine, Liverpool).
Students also secured high profile, competitive apprenticeships including Eddie Allister with Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), Sebi Bairstow with Ernst & Young, Harvey Devenish-Meares with Rolls-Royce, Alfie Purnell with the global consulting firm Alvarez and Marsal and Ellie Wilson with Deloitte. In addition, Oliver Peace has secured an employment contract with the pro-cycling team – DSM.
Other students are taking Gap Years, expanding their horizons and broadening their experiences, with destinations as diverse as Australia, Italy and Asia.
Carly Purnell, Headteacher stated, “With marking boundaries restored to their pre-pandemic levels and many students sitting public examinations for the first time, we continue to be very proud of the achievements and resilience of our year 13 cohort. The strong outcomes and the quality destinations they have secured, including some of the most prestigious universities, highly competitive courses and reputable companies, are testament to their hard work, commitment and ability, as well as the expert academic, pastoral and careers support and guidance they receive at IGS.”
“Whilst students are a lot more than a set of grades, the qualifications they have achieved are a passport to the next phase of their education, training or employment. We are delighted that many will now go on to pursue their passions in a diverse range of fields – from Engineering, Archaeology and Literature to Game Design, Law and Consultancy. I have every confidence that, whatever their next steps, they are all capable of achieving great things and I wish them all the very best for a successful and happy future.”
“Once again, in congratulating our students for their well-deserved success, I would also like to thank the staff at IGS for their support of, and commitment to, our students, as well as recognise the importance of the support and encouragement from families who work in positive partnership with the school. We now look forward to celebrating the wide range of academic, sporting and personal achievements of the year group more formally at our Year 13 Presentation Evening in early January.”
Alex Fox, Assistant Headteacher, Director of Post-16 added, “It has been an absolute privilege to work with this cohort during my first year at IGS and to witness the incredible resilience and persistence they have all shown in the face of continued uncertainty. Every single grade achieved this year has been well-earned through hard work and dedication. I would like to thank the post-16 team, senior colleagues and the staff at IGS for their work over the past two years and for the part they have played in ensuring that students continue to believe in themselves and their capacity to achieve great things".
