A* grades rise for the second straight year for St Swithun’s School A level students

U6 girls at St Swithun’s again earned successful A-level results, harvesting a strong yield of the top A* grades. Half of the year group achieved at least one A*, with a quarter of the girls earning two or more A* grades, both of which were increases on previous years. 

The percentage of grades at A*and A was also higher than last year, and 46% of girls achieved AAA or higher and 62% AAB or better. One student obtained an extraordinary seven A* grades.

100% of A level results were graded A* to B in the ten individual subjects of Classical civilisation, English literature, food technology, French, German, Greek, history, history of art, Latin and religious studies.

In addition, half of the pupils who undertook the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) gained an A* grade and 78% earned an A* or A. The EPQ is equivalent to half an A level and is held in high esteem by universities for the skills of self-directed, independent study that it cultivates.

Impressively, when data from baseline testing is taken into account girls from St Swithun’s achieve a half a grade higher at A level than predicted, with 47% of all results at least one grade higher.

This year’s leavers have earned places at a wide range of universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Imperial, KCL, Leeds, LSE, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, UCL and Warwick to study a diverse range of degree subjects, including accounting and finance, archaeology, biology, biomedical sciences, chemical engineering, Classics, economics, engineering, English literature, geography, history, history of art, international relations, law, management, mathematics, medicine, modern languages, pharmacy, philosophy and theology, physics, product design, psychology, theology and religion and urban planning.

The headmistress, Jane Gandee, commented, “We are delighted for this year’s leavers and proud of their achievements. The fact that they have performed so highly in this, the first year of the new linear A-level courses in seven subjects is testament to their resilience and determination, as well as to the hard work of our dedicated and inspiring teachers. We wish our leavers every success as they move into the next stages of their lives and look forward to hearing of their continued progress.”