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Indian bags 10A*, becomes IGCSE topper in Dubai

Dubai - The teenager plans to become a surgeon after finishing his A-levels.

Indian student Akshit Goel displayed a rather contrasting laid back manner upon learning that he bagged the GEMS UAE topper title after scoring impressive 10A*, 1A and two 9s in his GCSE exams on Thursday morning.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, the 16-year-old GEMS Wellington International School said, "I don't know what to think about it because there are so many people who do GCSEs and I never thought I'd do that well in these exams."
The teenager plans to become a surgeon after finishing his A-levels. He noted that the key of succeeding in an exam is making notes and engaging in discussions with classmates "to get the concepts really strong in your head."
"I didn't have much of a hard time during the exams because it was a whole year's work. I didn't leave everything till the last minute," said Goel.
He added that while he did not expect such results, the feelings of anxiety and nervousness escalated as he neared the school, especially after the introduction of the new grading system for Math and English.
"It was scary, especially for the English, but thankfully the teachers introduced us to the system so it helped us understand the exam techniques and prepare for it accordingly," said Goel.
Schools dealt for the first time with the new grading system that saw an end to A* grading in math and English. The new scheme is meant to differentiate between average and brightest students although it adds some pressure to achieve top grade of a 9.
Another topper who will forever remember this day is Ralph Al Hussami who scored a full 11A*s in all his subjects.
"I didn't expect it," said the Canadian/Lebanese student, "I don't know how I did it but I'm very happy," The Dubai British School topper said listening in class and having organized notes are essential in achieving high scores.
"I always took notes during class and when I referred to the textbooks, I also summarized the information and later read it instead of opening the books all over again," said Al Hussami.
He said he plans to complete his A-Levels in Chemistry, Math and economics to be able to study mechanical engineering at a Canadian University.
"Take past papers because they are the perfect example of how the exam will look like. The examination period is stressful, but keeping up the work throughout the two years really helps," he said.
- sherouk@khaleejtimes.com