Each year, Alice Smith School students achieve outstanding results with many of them being awarded top marks in the country, region or even the world.

Recently, three students received impressive awards from Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), one of the examination boards the school uses for A Level and (I)GCSE examinations. Huge congratulations to:

• Emily Choi-Ying Chong – Top in the World for Media (Cambridge A Level)

• Juan Sebastian Beltran – Top in the World for Drama (Cambridge IGCSE)

• Zi Xuan Lee – Top in Malaysia for Foreign Language Malay (Cambridge IGCSE)

Emily, class of 2021 graduate, achieved three A*s in her A Levels and is currently taking a gap year. She also had success in one of her other subjects in 2021 when she won the British Geological Society ‘National Schools Geology Challenge’ with fellow student India Kolb.

Head of Media, Charlotte Moore said, “(We are) so proud to be told that Emily has received Top in the World for Media Studies A Level from Cambridge. This is the third year the Media Department has celebrated this award since 2018.”

The Drama team are also celebrating with Juan Sebastian’s Top of the World mark for Drama IGCSE. 

Holly Sullivan, Head of Creative and Expressive Arts Faculty, said, “Juan Sebastian is a talented Drama student who has seized every opportunity the school offered him to develop his performing skills and appreciation of theatre. Whether participating in FOBISIA Drama or SEASAC Arts festivals, gaining Full Colours in the Performing Arts in Year 11 or the Distinction he gained for his Trinity Acting Exam, or when closing the production of Macbeth as newly crowned King Malcolm or his full marks (I)GCSE Drama performance as Peter Stockmann in Ibsen’s Enemy of the People, Juan Sebastian enriched the performing life of the school. The drama department is very proud that his talent has been recognised with such a prestigious award.”

On his son’s award Juan’s father James commented, “Alice Smith School had been the foundational bedrock for many of Juan’s achievements since he started at Reception and will indubitably continue to benefit from the holistic education he had received. A big thank you from his parents.”  

The final award for summer 2021 was for Zi Xuan’s Top in Malaysia achievement in her (I)GCSE for Foreign Language Malay. On receiving her award Zi Xuan said, “I am immensely proud of myself for ever reaching the top in Malaysia, it has definitely motivated me to work harder in order for my goals to be reached in the future. Bahasa Malaysia has always been one of my favourite subjects throughout (I)GCSE, which has definitely encouraged me to stay resilient even when I’ve gotten not as great results in the past. After all of that hard work, I’m overjoyed to say that it has paid off well.”

The awards would be a magnificent achievement in any year but it is important to remember these students completed their A Level and (I)GCSEs with a large amount of their learning conducted via virtual learning.

Congratulations again to the prizewinners and indeed to all Alice Smith students who sat the A Levels and (I)GCSEs in the summer of 2021. Despite the challenges of last year, these results are remarkable when you consider that Alice Smith is not a selective school, unlike many other UK independent and international schools. 

Join the school’s Secondary Campus Open Morning on Tuesday, 8th February (9.30am to 11am) to learn more!

Scholarships are currently available for Reach for the Stars (I)GCSE. Apply before 27th February 2022. Click link here for further information. An opportunity not to be missed!

For further enquiries, please email [email protected].