A-level suspense ends

A-level suspense ends

22 August 2012

LIFE-CHANGING plans are underway across the district as hundreds of A-level graduates prepare their next move.

There were celebrations in school yards across the district on Thursday morning when examinations results were finally distributed following an eight-week wait — determining the future of swathes of academic 18 year-olds.

Although many students will already know their destination for next month, with university acceptances already in place depending on appropriate grades having been achieved, there are others who will wait a while longer before knowing which college they will attend.

The district’s straight-A achievers will already have secured their chosen courses in most cases including Downpatrick teenager Abraham McCauley, who is heading to St. Andrew’s University in Scotland to read chemistry after achieving two A* and two A grades.

Abraham is the last of a family of high achievers who have passed through St. Patrick’s Grammar School in Downpatrick in recent years.

Two sisters and six of his brothers have also launched their third level studies from the local grammar school and he said he was delighted to have carried on the family tradition of hard work.

“I did not feel under pressure because our parents give us the space to study as much as we like,” he said.

“I knew I had tried my best and it was the best I could do. A knew how I had done but I was still keen to see my results.”

There was also great excitement in the yard of Down High School on Thursday morning as students examined their result sheets in tight groups of friends.

Among them were many of the area’s top achievers including Hanna Stevenson, from Saintfield, who will travel to St. Andrew’s University to read chemistry after achieving four A*s and one A grades, Kilmore student Sean Redfern-Walsh, who will travel to Dundee to read medicine after achieving an A* and three As, and Robert Gilmore, also from Saintfield, who will study engineering at UCD in Dublin after achieving three A*s and one A grade.

Other schools have also highlighted the achievements of their straight-A students including Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch where 17 students achieved three or more As and Shimna Integrated College in Newcastle where the top achievers included Helen Sawey, who achieved straight As in art subjects and who will now study psychology at Queen’s University, Piera Cirefice’s who achieved A*s and will now study art in Falmouth and Carol Anne Magennis whose straight As qualify her to study law at the University of Exeter.