Sky is the limit for these UAE-based achievers

WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE ... Abeeha Fatima (second from left) and Zoha Ali (third from left) with their friends.

A sigh of relief was expressed by scores of students who cleared their O Level exams as the GCSE/IGCSE results were announced on Thursday.
Abeeha Fatima, from Dubai Scholars Private School said she is finally at peace as she has done extremely well in all her subjects. "I am really pleased with my results. I received A* in Chemistry and English. I also received A General Biology, Islamic Studies, Mathematics and History. But unfortunately I received B in Urdu, I was one mark shy of getting that A grade," she said.
The 17-year-old said her fear of not meeting her expectations kept her up all night. "I've been preparing myself for the results for the past three days. I was actually so nervous that I didn't even make an online account to check my results. I only made the account on Thursday morning when the results were out," she laughed.
She highlighted the importance of following one's dream. "I was surprised when I discovered that I received A* in Chemistry, because I didn't think it was one of my strong subjects. My father is exceptionally pleased because he wants me to have a future in science, but my dream falls in journalism, so I will take a different path and pursue my vision."
Her advice to future students is to simply never give up. "Believe in yourself and have faith."
She pointed out that it took her and her classmates three years to prepare for Thursday's results. "We've had three years to prepare for the exam.
The syllabus is divided into three, 70 per cent in grade 9; 30 per cent in grade 10, whereas grade 11 was mainly revision and preparation for the exams which began in May."
Zoha Ali, also from Dubai Scholars Private School said her exceptionally good results have opened endless doors of opportunities for her. "I've been really interested in pursuing a medical career, and Thursday's results have opened many doors for me to follow these dreams."
Making her family, as well as her own self proud, is something that the young student will cherish for a lifetime. "My parents were over the moon when they found out about my results. I was jumping up and down the whole time, I was just so happy!"
The 16-year-old said achieving high ranks in O Level courses are crucial as it sets a solid foundation for the future.
"We will be starting our A'Level courses and to get into these courses you should have a minimum of B from your O Level. Receiving A* in three of my courses and A in four other courses will allow me to focus on a career in medical science, because most of my subjects were in the required field," she added.
GEMS students excel
Meanwhile, students from GEMS International British Curriculum Schools outperformed their counterparts in England once again.
Fiona Cottam, Senior Vice-President, Schools, GEMS Education, was delighted with this year's results. "The outcomes achieved by GEMS students in today's results are truly exceptional. Once again, our commitment to delivering the highest quality of education is clearly evidenced in these results with 42.1 per cent of all grades at A* or A across the GEMS network, an increase of two per cent from last year. GEMS witnessed an upward trend across all schools.
Particular highlights included Jumeirah College, where students achieved 59.6 per cent A* and A grades with 30 students gaining straight A*/A grades in all subjects and Wellington International School with 46.6% A* and A grades.
Remarkable performances from individual students at Wellington International School included Isbah Bandeali and Ivan Serdyuk who both achieved 9 A*s and 2 As; and from Jumeirah College, Imran Majid with 10 A*s and 1 A grade and Rebecca Ludden with 9 A*s and 2 As. GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis saw exceptional performances from students with Munira Rajkotwalla gaining 10 A*s and 1 A and Jameela Nagri achieving 9 A*s and 1 A grade.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com