Local student, Guy Torrance, came top of the A Level rankings at King’s College this year, achieving an impressive clean sweep of four A* grades in biology, chemistry, maths and physics. Guy, who will be taking a gap year, will apply to study medicine in 2017.
The school was last week celebrating a strong set of A Level results. The A* to B rate was 62%, with an overall pass rate of 98%. Twelve students gained three or more A* or A grades. Along with Guy, others to perform particularly well were Henry Cole, with A*s in geography and history and an A in German; James Crocker, with an A* in maths and As in chemistry, further maths and physics; Marco Lung, with A*s in art, maths and further maths; Richard Milbradt, with A*s in economics, maths and physics and an A in chemistry; Hugo Lyon with A*s in maths and physics and As in chemistry and further maths; Grace Murray with an A* in biology and As in chemistry and maths.
Other high achievers include George Willis with As in economics, geography and philosophy of religion and ethics; Felicity Hamilton with As in biology, chemistry and geography; Michelle Chan with As in Chinese, further maths and maths, and Bs in biology and chemistry.
This year King’s College leavers will be going to universities both in the UK and across the world, including Cambridge, the London School of Economics, Imperial College, Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham, to study a wide range of subjects including engineering, veterinary science, medicine, law, history and architecture.
In 2014 two Indian students blazed a trail as the first scholars from that country to come to the King’s Sixth Form. Both have done exceptionally well: Ananth Palaniappan achieved A*s in maths, further maths and physics and an A in chemistry, and Advik Sanyal gained A*s in maths and further maths and As in chemistry and economics. Ananth will be going to Cornell University in the USA to read physics and Advik has a scholarship to read economics at the London School of Economics.
Departments which have done particularly well this year include art, where an outstanding 83% of the students gained A* to B grades. Other departments performing well in the A* to B measure include: German (91%), chemistry (64%), drama (75%), economics (72%), maths (62%), English (65%), geography (63%) and further maths (100%). At the top A* level, the College’s nationally acclaimed design and technology department performed particularly well, with one fifth of the candidates gaining the top grade. Half the candidates in further maths gained A*s; 28% in maths; and 29% in physics.
Commenting on these results, the Headmaster, Richard Biggs, said: “I am delighted to see the success spread across the sciences, the creative subjects, the humanities and the languages. I congratulate our students warmly on their achievements, which represent many years of hard work and, more importantly, keen interest; and I thank my teaching staff for their enthusiasm and unstinting support of the candidates. As always, the true excitement of these results lies not in the headline figures, but in the individual successes, the stories that lie behind the grades. I am as delighted with those students who have worked their socks off to get solid B grades and secure places at top universities as I am with Guy’s astonishing virtuoso performance of four A*s. They all deserve credit and praise. One thing I know for certain: our students are going on to make their mark on the world. They have been a terrifically talented and enthusiastic year group and their achievements both inside and outside the classroom speak volumes for their all-round ability, their leadership skills and their resilience. We will keep a fond eye on them all as they forge their way in the world.”
Pictured: James Crocker, Henry Biggs, Henry Cole, Hamish Urquhart, Guy Torrance, Olivia Hake (photographer: Vicki Crandley)