Results of the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams are out and UAE students have once again performed well above the international average.
Students at Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) achieved a two-point increase on last year, setting a new school record of 38%, eight points above the world average. Two students were awarded the highest possible 45 points (annually achieved by approximately only 200 students in the entire world, thus placing them in the top one per cent), five students were awarded 44 points, and six students achieved 43 points.
There were many university placement highlights: in the UK, Finley Bettsworth, having achieved the perfect IB score of 45 points is now heading to Brasenose College at the University of Oxford to study Medicine. He will be joined at the University of Oxford by Chloe-Marie Hawley who achieved 43 points and will study Biology. Reuben Strobel also achieved the full 45 points and will take up his place at the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Music in Cardiff.
Deputy Head Teacher (Key Stage 5) at JESS, Ian Thurston, is delighted with these results, saying: “It is truly special to have 88 students from a mixed ability cohort of 91 achieving the Diploma, with an average of 37.8%, reflecting the motivation and dedication of the students and teachers. It is a wonderful privilege to be part of a community that supports students to attend some of the most prestigious universities across the globe.”
Two students from Dubai International Academy (DIA), an Innoventures Education school, have also achieved the coveted maximum 45 point score. Carl Vinter will attend Copenhagen Business School to study Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and Lilith Mayer will study Business Management at Warwick University, UK.
Ms Poonam Bhojani, CEO, Innoventures Education, said: “The graduating class of 2019 at DIA has achieved excellent results, with 45 students obtaining a score of 38 points or more, whilst 81% of the graduating class exceeded the world average of 30 points (2018 figures).”
Over at Repton School Dubai students have achieved formidable point scores, allowing them to attend the most prestigious of universities. Headmaster David Cook commented: “We are delighted to announce that 98% of our IBDP students have been awarded the IB Diploma, scoring an average of 34 points or more per student.”
Highlights of Repton School Dubai‘s top performing students:
- Aisha Mir achieved 43 points and will attend St Andrews University to study Medicine
- Hannah Fazal achieved 43 points and will attend University College London (UCL) to study Politics and Spanish
- Loic Pages achieved 41 points and will study Arts and Sciences, leading to Economics at UCL. He also attained the Bilingual Diploma
- Maria Papachristos achieved 40 points and will study English and History at the University of Glasgow
Similarly, Deira International School students have been on the rise this year, scoring above international averages with a pass rate of 92%. The two top students both scored 43 points. With 15% of candidates achieving over 40 points, this is a significant increase on the 6% from the last academic year. Furthermore, 43% of candidates achieved 35+ points, an increase of 11% in comparison to the last academic year. The school achieved a 100% pass rate in the IB Career-related Programme.
Universal American School (UAS), too, has been successful this year, with an 8% increase in the percentage of students who achieved above 35 points. The top student achieved a remarkable 44 points, setting a new school record. Ole Bernard Sealey, Director at UAS, said, “Every year, we aim to improve on the achievements that came before. This year was all about progress and we are extremely proud of the commitment shown by our students.”
Last but not least, Emirates International School Jumeirah had the rare distinction of entering 1,237 students for the iB Diploma Programme this year, of which 1,078 students have achieved the diploma. That’s an impressive 88% increase over the last 26 years since the school began offering the diploma programme. One student achieved 44 points, while 10 others secured scores between 40 and 45 points.
Keep an eye out for exclusive interviews with the One Percentile students above in our upcoming August issue.