UAE schools continue upward trend in A-level exams

Although A-level examination results in England have dropped slightly this year, many schools in the U.A.E. have continued to show an upward trend in performance, some even achieving a 100 per cent pass rate.
The A-level results for students enrolled at British curriculum schools in the U.A.E., which were released on Thursday, determine the universities that they will attend.
In GEMS schools offering the British national curriculum, 32 per cent of students have received A*-A, which is higher than the UK national average of 26 per cent this year.
A total of 863 students from five GEMS schools took part in the A levels and AS level exams, out of which 58 per cent of students achieved A* - B across the GEMS schools, while 52.4 per cent of their peers in England achieved the same.
There was significant achievement at The Winchester School, Jebel Ali with 31.9 per cent of students obtaining A* - A, which is 6 per cent above the national average in England.
In Abu Dhabi, at The Cambridge High School, 32 per cent of students achieved A*-A while 60 per cent of students achieved A*- B.
"I am extremely pleased with these results across all grades at AS and A level. This clearly demonstrates that the gap in performance levels between GEMS schools and National benchmarks for England continue to widen,” said Alan Marshall, Group Director of Standards, GEMS Education. Dubai British School (DBS) was one of the schools to achieve a 100 per cent pass rate. Out of the 118 students who took the exams, 91 per cent of all students at DBS obtained A-B grades, 25 per cent of which were A* and A.
"We have had a 100 per cent pass rate in the last two years. It is important for students to do well in these examinations as getting into universities has become increasingly competitive,” said Mark Ford, principal of DBS.
Ford advised students who did not receive the grades they need to enter their dream universities to be proactive and find out what is out there, adding that they should not accept a university or major that they do not like.
Abu Dhabi's Al Yasmina School also received a 100 per cent pass rate, with more than 50 per cent of the students achieving A* to B scores and more than 30 per cent scoring A to A*. The school also achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in Islamic studies.
Tim Hughes, Principal of Al Yasmina School, said, "Achieving these impressive results required patience, rigorous hard work and a great deal of dedication from both students and teachers. Their ability to manage the rigours of academic life while constantly engaging in extra-curricular activities has prepared them well as they move towards the next phase of their education.”
Source: Gulf News