Bury St Edmunds GCSE results: Happy faces at Sybil Andrews Academy as pupils find out their grades
There were lots of happy, smiley faces at a Bury St Edmunds school as pupils collected their GCSE results this morning.
Sybil Andrews Academy, in Rougham Tower Avenue, marked continued year-on-year improvement.
Among the top earners was Oliver Szabo, 16, who secured five grade 9s, one 8, three 7s and one 6, which included top marks in maths, an 8 in English language and a 7 in English literature.
Oliver was thrilled when he opened his packet this morning to find out he had done better than he expected.
For his A-levels, he will take maths, further maths, computer science and physics at Abbeygate Sixth Form.
Oliver said: “I feel amazing and happy and confident now I can get the place I want.
“Teachers and staff were really helpful. Revision, at first, was very difficult as I couldn’t figure out a way to study but I eventually settled on past papers, which really helped and made revising much easier and made me feel much better going into my exams.
“If feels good now knowing I studied hard and got the grades I wanted.
“I have no idea yet what I want to do once I finish my A-levels, perhaps I’ll go off to uni, start a business or do a job related to computer science.”
Another top performer was 16-year-old Juliet Mead, who secured seven grade 9s, two 8s and one 6, including 8s in maths and English language and a 9 in English literature.
Having spent her summer travelling, recently returning from Thailand, she will also head to Abbeygate Sixth Form to study chemistry, biology and philosophy & ethics.
Juliet said: “I was predicted to do quite well and over the past year I’ve worked so hard to get the grades I wanted and it is nice to see it has paid off.
“Sitting my GCSEs was tough – a lot moreso than I expected. Year 11 was a hard year for me so I’m so glad to get the results I did.
“I think Sybil Andrews, as a smaller school, allowed me to develop and I’ve come a long way with their support.”
Evie Clifford, 16, was chuffed with her results, having secured one grade 9, one 8, four 6s, a 6-6 in combined science and a distinction.
She said: “I’m very pleased as I thought I was going to fail some subjects.
“Truthfully, the grade I cared most about was maths, in which I got a grade 6 and in English literature I got a 9, even though I thought I’d fail that as I didn’t finish any essays as I struggled to write quickly.
“Sitting my GCSEs was extremely stressful, I struggled with revising as I couldn’t find a way I could do it, but I did find using flash cards and Quizla helpful.
“I came up to secondary school during Covid-19 but it is just school at the end of the day. I do not know who I would be if I didn’t come to Sybil Andrews as I found my closest friends here.”
Evie will go onto Abbeygate Sixth Form to take A-levels in psychology, sociology and criminology with ambitions of becoming a psychiatrist.
She said she would spend the rest of the summer preparing for sixth form.
Twins Charlie and Alex Finlay, 16, also collected their results today.
Charlie said he was happy with his results and will also head off to Abbeygate for his A-levels, having secured one grade 9, two 7s, one 5, two 4s and a 7-6 in combined science.
He will complete A-levels in psychology, law and philosophy & ethics.
Charlie said: “I exceeded my expectations with my results and I will spend the rest of my summer preparing for sixth form.”
Alex secured three grade 9s, four 7s, three 6s and one level 5.
He said: “I was told revision was hard and I didn’t go all out. When you sit down for your exam, it all comes back to you.
“I do not know what I want to do in the future but I am off to Abbeygate Sixth Form next year to study music, early modern history and sociology.”
He will also spend his summer preparing for his A-levels while also playing football.
Oliver Cole spoke to SuffolkNews while away on a cruise, having secured three level 9 grades, five 8s and two 7s.
He said his GCSEs were the hardest thing he had ever done.
Oliver added: “Receiving my results today showed me how much my hard work was worth.
“My teachers were brilliant at supporting me throughout the process and I am looking forward to starting my sixth form journey.”
Oliver will do his A-levels in English language, early modern history and philosophy at Abbeygate Sixth Form.
Joe Pointon. interim headteacher said students should feel proud of their hard work and positive attitude to learning.
Mr Pointon added: “The pupils have worked extremely hard to achieve these impressive grades and I am so pleased that their perseverance and resilience have been rewarded.
“I am grateful to the staff for their commitment and dedication, and I would also like to thank the parents for their ongoing support.
“We wish all our pupils the best of luck for their academic and vocational courses next year. It has been a pleasure to work with this cohort of pupils and we are confident that they will be successful in their chosen career paths.”
Click this link for live updates and photos from other schools in Suffolk as students celebrate their GCSE results.
Coverage includes schools in Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, Haverhill, Sudbury, Newmarket, Mildenhall and Thetford.