This year, all subjects were awarded numerical grades, with Grade 9 being the highest
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It was happiness and cheers all around as thousands of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) students around the UAE arrived at their schools to collect their results. Students in the country have performed exceedingly well. In GCSE, all subjects are awarded with numerical grades, with Grade 9 being the highest.
Dubai British School, Jumeirah Park students have retained their 100 pass rate percent in their GCSE examinations. The school management said that they have seen a significant increase in the number of grade 9s awarded this year compared to previous years, and over 30 percent of students have achieved the highest grades in their subjects. As many as 21 percent of the students secured Grade 9. In addition, 76 percent of all entries have been awarded Grade 9-6.
The highest grades in Brighton College Dubai were awarded to Henry Fliss — nine Grade 9s. High-achieving pupils celebrating top-level grades this year include:
Simon Crane, head master of Brighton College Dubai, said: “I am incredibly proud of the achievements of our GCSE cohort who have exceeded their targets. My warmest congratulations to our excellent pupils and staff on these fantastic achievements! As well as being academically dedicated, our pupils have been involved in all other aspects of school life, including taking on wellbeing initiatives, sports and leadership positions.”
Pupils at Brighton College, Abu Dhabi secured almost 300 top Grade 9s, over half of all GCSEs graded 9 or 8, and almost three quarters graded 9 - 7.
The College’s pupils have achieved exceptional results with 31 percent of pupils scoring Grade 9s, 51 percentage of pupils achieving Grade 9 - 8 (A*), 71 percent of pupils awarded Grade 9 - 7 (A*-A), 87 percent awarded Grade 9-6 (A* - B) and 95 percent being awarded Grade 9-5 (A* -B/C).
Highest Grade 9s were achieved by Diego Toro Vizamora, Hannah Aly, Kobi Uzu, Meryam Awwad, Yana Walia, Joshua Hunt, Maya Shawki and Catherine Abdulsamad.
Helen Wilkinson, former head mistress of Brighton College Abu Dhabi expressed great pride in the accomplishments of the pupils. “Our pupils have done it again! A wonderful set of results which they so richly deserve. Their hard work and diligence, coupled with the unfailing support of our dedicated staff, has given them results which will set them up for their wide, bright futures. I wish them all well in their onward journeys.” Wilkinson said.
Brighton College Al Ain pupils resulted in a top Grade 9, and almost 65 percent were awarded 7 - 9 grades, 74 percent of pupils achieving the top grade (7-9), 1 in every 2 pupils achieving Grades 8 or 9 in English and 3 in every 4 pupils achieving top grades (8 -9) across the Humanities. Nearly 82 percent of all Arabic GCSEs were awarded at Grade 9.
Shihab Ahmad (British) was awarded eight Grade 9s and one Grade 8, Jesse Kurten (South African) with seven Grade 9s, one Grade 8 and one Grade 7, Hamda Alnuaimi (Emirati) secured six Grade 9s, two Grade 8s, and one Grade 7, Eloi Roberts (British) was awarded four Grade 9s, five Grade 8s.
Scott Carnochan, headmaster of Brighton College Al Ain said: “After celebrating our pupils' outstanding A Level achievements, I am thrilled to report that Brighton College Al Ain pupils have once again been awarded an impressive percentage of top grades in their GCSE examinations, with 9–8 grades surpassing both last year and even 2019, when traditional in-person exams were last held,”
Over 3,600 students from 23 GEMS schools in the UAE and Qatar took over 24,000 IGCSE/GCSEs this year. Across the schools, seven percent of entries scored a perfect grade 9, while 22 percent achieved grades 9-8 (equivalent to A*), 39 percent obtained 9-7 (A*-A), 66 percent scored 9-5 (A*-B), and 82 percent were graded 9-4 (A*-C).
Dr Saima Rana, chief education officer, GEMS Education, said: “On behalf of everyone at GEMS Education, congratulations to all our GCSE students on achieving such a strong set of exam results today.
“We are incredibly proud of everything our students and teachers have accomplished and look forward to further success to come. Congratulations!”
Nearly 21 percent students of GEMS Jumeirah College were awarded the top grade 9 and a near-perfect 99 per cent achieved 9-4 (A*-C), while at GEMS Wellington International School, 14 per cent of entries scored grade 9 and 95 per cent scored 9-4 (A*-C).
At GEMS Cambridge International Private School, Sharjah 17 per cent of entries obtained grade 9.
At GEMS Cambridge International School – Abu Dhabi, 14 per cent of entries were awarded grade 9.
Albie Huyser, Principal/CEO, GEMS Cambridge International Private School – Sharjah, said: “I am truly proud of the performance of all our Year 11 students. These are our first ever GCSE results and they demonstrate the hard work of our students and staff. I wish them all, and their families, the very best for the future and I look forward to seeing many of them at GCS next year. Well done, Year 11.”
Students at Raffles International School achieved exceptional results with eight subjects rated outstanding and 25 percent of them achieving 6 or more A*/A grades. As many as 42 percent of all grades awarded are A*- B. Nearly 67 percent of pupils outscored their targets, 66 percent of them achieved Grade A or above in Individual Science, while 60 percent achieved Grade A or above in modern foreign languages.
Steven Giles, Principal, of Raffles International School, said: “The iGCSE results are a testament to the collective effort put in by the entire academic community. Particularly noteworthy are the remarkable achievements in Mathematics and Science, where our students performed exceptionally well, showcasing their analytical skills and intellectual prowess, and building a strong foundation for future academic pursuits,”
Students were overjoyed by their achievements. Top scorer Ahmed Mossa said: “Our teacher’s guidance and encouragement played a significant role in helping me achieve these results. I hope I have done them proud. This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support and guidance of my teachers and peers, who pushed me to reach new heights and inspired me with their own achievements.”
At Aldar Education, 18 percent of students achieved the highest score earning the prestigious 9 grade, 36 percent achieved 9-8 grade, while 53 percent achieved a 9-7 grade. Across Aldar Education, 89 percent of students achieved a pass rate of 9-4.
Stephen Sharples, executive director of education at Aldar Education, said: “We are immensely proud of the superb I/GCSE achievements of all our schools. On behalf of Aldar Education, I extend my congratulations to our students and wish them the best of luck in their next steps.”
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SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.
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