Limavady Grammar School's students celebrate A-Level success

This year’s pupils provided another excellent set of results for the school, with over 86% of the 317 exams sat resulting in A*- C grades and 59% of exams producing the top A*- B grades.

Top achievers were Ciaran Duffy, Nicole Kingsbury and Callum McCurry who each received 4 A* grades, whilst Samantha Coulter and Lindsey Lynch received A* grades in all three of their A Level subjects.

Other top achievers, all of whom received 3 or more A*/A grades were Stefan Deery, Ciaran Duffy, Zoe Kyte, Matthew Lockhead, Christopher McKee, Jack O’Neill and Owen Sortwell.

Year 14 pupil Alix Hull who is heading off to the University of Chichester to study Musical Theatre said that she was “really pleased” with her results, although she admitted that she will miss everybody at school next year whilst classmate Jamie Young who is going to Lancaster University to study MORSE (Maths, Operational Research, Statistics and Engineering) said that he was “really happy” and that he “can’t wait now to go to university.”

Not to be outdone by their senior schoolmates, Year 13 pupils also had the dreaded experience of opening the results envelopes this week as they received their equally pleasing AS results. Of the 376 exams sat, almost 40% resulted in A grades, with 22 pupils receiving the top grade in three or more subjects.

An astonishing fourteen pupils – Joel Boucher, Victoria Brown, Rhiannon Day, Adam Douglas, Ryan Duffy, Kornel Gorywoda, David Irwin, Rachael McAleese, Sophie McArthur, Matthew Nicholl, Bevin Reilly, Ethan Squires, Finn Whiteside and Stephanie Wilson – achieved A grades in all four of their subjects, whilst other top achievers included Jenny Bell, Amy Bogle, Hannah Connell, John Crown, Sarah Grant, Ben Kennedy, Shane Murphy and Jordan Rankin.

The future certainly looks bright for pupils at the Grammar School as Principal NicolaMadden was quick to point out.

Mrs Madden said that she was “truly delighted” with theresults achieved by the pupils and went on to say:

“These results are a reflection of the hard work by our students and the excellent teaching and care shown by the staff.

“As a result oflong hours of work by both staff and pupils we can all celebrate together today as pupils have gained entry to the university and higher education courses of their choice.

“The pupilsin the school have received a well-rounded education with access to an extensive range of extra-curricular activities and this has equipped them well with both the academic qualifications and the wider skills to excel in their chosen course and career choices. I wish the Class of 2018 every success for the future”.

Commenting on this summer’s overall GCE results, Justin Edwards, Chief Executive of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) said yesterday:

“Today’s A level examination results are a testament to the hard work of students. I congratulate them all and wish them the very best for their future. Once again, Northern Ireland’s students have performed well, with a steady and strong performance across all grades. The results are also recognition of the dedication and support provided by teachers and schools.

“This year males achieved a higher percentage of A* grades. This is the first time males have performed better than females since the grade was introduced. The performance gap, between females and males, also narrowed at the other grades.

“There are some interesting changes in subject choices. Mathematics remains the most popular A level, with 1 in 10 students studying the subject here.

“Overall, the proportion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) entries have increased slightly and STEM subjects are still a popular choice.

“The new Life and Health Sciences qualification has proven popular,” he added.