Merchiston celebrates as Class of 2018 achieve exceptional A level results

The reformed A levels continued to emphasise increased stretch and challenge; and we are delighted that Merchiston has once again delivered excellence in this new context, going way beyond the national average across the board.

As a School it is our goal to add value to each and every boy, and we are delighted that, in almost all cases, the boys surpassed their own personal targets and exceeded the ALIS predictions made by Durham University. A formidable 50% of grades are at A* or A at A level or Advanced Higher, almost double the national average. And, a full 20% of this total is at A* level - this is clear testament to the confidence with which Merchiston staff and boys have engaged with this new ‘gold standard’ at a time of ongoing anxiety within school assessment.

Stephen Campbell, Deputy Head Academic, comments: “We are absolutely delighted that our pupils’ average UCAS points yield is 141. This is an astonishing achievement when one considers that three A grades at A Level are worth 144 UCAS points.”

These results build on a fabulous set of SQA results earlier in the month, not least the superb achievement of 'straight As' across all of our presentations at Advanced Higher. Well done to all involved.