Increase in top grades for St Swithun’s pupils in challenging I/GCSE curriculum

Girls at St Swithun’s School, Winchester are celebrating excellent examination results, with 30.0% of entries achieving the top grade 9 and 60.2% graded 9/8/A*, both increases from 2018 and compared to the national averages of 4.5% and 11.2% respectively. 

80.8% of all results were graded 7/A and above, compared to 20.8% nationally. Half of the students achieved seven or more grades 9/8/A*, with 12 pupils gaining grades 9/8/A* in all their subjects, three of whom achieved straight grade 9s.

At least 40% of results were at grade 9 in eight subjects, including biology, design and technology, drama, geography, German, Greek, history and music. In these and a further two subjects, food preparation and nutrition and French, more than 90% of results were grade 7/A or higher.

Pupils at St Swithun’s follow a challenging curriculum at GCSE level. Research has shown that the overwhelming majority of applicants to the most competitive universities take both a modern language and a humanities subject to GCSE level, and this year 97% of girls at St Swithun’s completed a GCSE in both a modern language and one of the humanities (Classical civilisation, geography, history and religious studies). 

In fact 40% of pupils earned qualifications in two or more humanities and 40% similarly in two or more modern languages. Impressively, in modern languages 71.9% of all grades were at 9/8/A* and 89.8% at 7/A and above, and in the humanities 67.1% of grades were at 9/8/A* and 84.6% at 7/A and higher.

Headmistress Jane Gandee said: “I am delighted with the achievements of the girls across the challenging I/GCSE curriculum. This is a cohesive and friendly year group which has excelled in all areas of school life in a typically understated way. As well as hardworking and committed students, their numbers include award-winning musicians and composers, international sportswomen and talented actors. They thoroughly deserve their success and we look forward to welcoming them into the sixth form in September, where I am sure they will continue to make a broad-ranging and energetic contribution to school life.”