Joanna Li has been ranked top student in the world by achieving a mark of 99% in her International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Chemistry examination. This incredible achievement is a first for a student at St Paul’s Collegiate School.
IGCSE is a two-year programme leading to externally set and marked examinations from the University of Cambridge. Any student who takes an IGCSE subject gain a qualification that is recognised globally.
St Paul’s offers students the opportunity to complete dual qualifications – NCEA and Cambridge International Examinations – depending on students’ academic ability and their career prerequisites.
“The significance of achieving the highest subject honour in an examination sat around the world cannot be overstated. Joanna’s achievement is testament to her superior knowledge and diligence, and to the outstanding skill and dedication of her teacher, Jane Spenceley,” says Jason McGrath, the teacher in charge of Cambridge Examinations at St Paul’s.
In addition to her Chemistry result, Joanna gained an impressive 97.5% average across all her Cambridge examinations.
Other St Paul’s students who chose the Cambridge programme in 2020 achieved an impressive 97% overall pass rate. A record 28% of the grades were higher than 90%, and 51% of all grades were higher than 80%.
In A Level Mathematics, our senior students achieved the best results on record with Lucas Goodwin, Jaby Lau and Ella Lee each achieving 91% in this most challenging examination.
In AS Level English, Katie Brown topped the class with 88%, with Kyle Fraser also achieving an A grade with an 81% result.
AS Mathematics was a stand-out subject with a 100% pass rate. Didier Lawson (98%), Jessamyn Freyberg (96%) and Joanna Li (95%) were the top performers.
After a difficult year of distance learning and a Covid-19 lockdown, it was pleasing to see our students achieving to such a high level.
We are incredibly proud of the high standard of achievement in these prestigious examinations and thanks must go to our teachers for supporting our students throughout last year.
