Excellent Results

By Adrian Frost - Assistant Principal, 18 August 2023

Well done to twins Joe and Tev – between there’s 7 A* and three A grades – an amazing achievement! Joe will now study Economics at the University of Nottingham, whereas Tev is off to Manchester to study Computer Science.

Students at The Sixth Form College, Colchester have achieved excellent results in their A level programmes in this summer’s examination and assessment series. In line with the planned national grade allocation in England instigated by the relevant Government agencies, over the piece 2023 grades are very similar to the strong results achieved by students at the College in 2019 (the last pre-covid year when a ‘normal’ profile of A level grades were allocated).

The year group of nearly 1500 students who studied A level programmes at the College in the 2021-23 period achieved a subject/course pass rate of approximately 97%.  100% pass rates were achieved in a large number of A level subjects including in Ancient History, German, Spanish, Italian, History of Art, Music, Electronics and Art and there were 99% or 98% pass rates in most other subjects.  Results were strong in the range of science subjects. 

Well over 90% of all the 18-year-old students at the College achieved 3 or more A level or Applied General Extended Certificate (A level equivalent) qualifications in their sixth form studies – a level of achievement which once again it is believed will be very significantly above the national average level in sixth forms at school and colleges across England and Wales.  It is also believed the 2023 cohort will again have achieved a strong ‘value-added’ level of achievement i.e., a positive assessment when students overall package of results achieved by the end of their sixth form studies are related to the package of GCSE results they achieved at age 16. 

In UCAS points terms the average level of achievement of the College’s top 100 upper sixth students is equivalent to grades A* A* A at A level and these ‘top end’ results, it is understood, will again match or exceed the results of the top 100 student achievers in virtually all of the selective grammar or independent schools in the country.

The overall A level, and other level 3 results achieved by the cohort of students this year are described by Ian MacNaughton, the College Principal, as "Excellent. Our students’ achievements are very strong and they must be very warmly congratulated for their levels of engagement, resilience and hard work in their sixth form studies - particularly following a difficult, covid affected, educational period when they were studying GCSEs”.

Well over 1000 of the 2021-23 cohort of students from The Sixth Form College have now obtained the necessary qualifications to be able to proceed onto university degree courses including a very large cohort of students who have now achieved the grades required for offers for places on prestige degree courses including, Medicine, Veterinary Science, Dentistry, Engineering, Maths, Computing, the range of sciences, modern foreign languages, Economics, Architecture, Law, English and History or have achieved places at Oxford or Cambridge or Russell Group Universities or Medical Schools or for other highly competitive universities or degree courses. Other students have achieved excellent opportunities in degree apprenticeships or other employment with training routes.

Congratulations to Jiya – she’s off to King’s College London to study medicine. She’s done an extraordinary job here and is leaving us with a grand total of one A*, three As and a B grade

Amongst a very large cohort of students who successfully achieved top grades and now have very positive progression opportunities are the following students:

Alex Woodcock – achieved 4 A* grades at a level, in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry and will now study a degree in Aerospace Engineering at University of Sheffield.

Joseph Partridge – achieved 3 A* grades at A level, in Maths, Economics, Sociology and Art and will now study Economics at the University of Nottingham, while his brother Thomas Partridge achieved 4 A level grades at A* in Maths, Further Maths, Computing and Economics and will now progress to study Computer Science at the University of Manchester.

Morgan Brunt – achieved A* grades in Biology and Chemistry and high grades in Maths and Extended Project Qualification and will now study Veterinary Medicine at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Amy Ponting – achieved A* grades at A level in Biology, Chemistry and Geology and will now study Chemistry at the University of Nottingham.

Kam- Wai Tsang – achieved A grades at A level in Computer Science, Further Maths, Physics and Extended Project, alongside a stunning A* in Maths – He will now study Computer Science and A.I. also at the University of Nottingham.

Joe Mansbridge – achieved A* grades in A levels in English Literature, History and Religious Studies and will now study History at University College London.

Sophie Hayes – achieved A* grades in A levels in French, Spanish and Sociology and will now study for a degree in Modern Foreign Languages at the University of Bath.

Harriet Rooke – achieved A* grades in French and German and an A grade in Classical Civilisation and has achieved her offer to study Classics and French at Brasenose College, Oxford.

Amelia Vicos – achieved A* grades in A level Psychology and Politics, an A grade in A level History and also a top grade in the Diploma in Financial Studies and will now study for a degree in Law at the University of Bristol.  

Megan Lowery – achieved 2 A* and 3 other high grades in A level English Literature, Sociology, Drama, Film Studies and Extended Project Qualification and successfully achieved the offer given to now study for a degree in History of Art at Newnham College, Cambridge.