A teenager who battled glandular fever during her A-level exams was left speechless today after finding out she got two As and a B.
Sarah Walter, 18, of Radwinter Road, Ashdon, was struck down by the illness shortly before sitting her A-levels but came back from a stay in hospital to score the grades needed to secure her place at the University of Greenwich.
“I cannot believe it,” the Saffron Walden County High student told the Reporter having just opened her results. “I’m over the moon. I got a text this morning saying I was in [to university] so I wasn’t as nervous as I would have been.
“Still, it’s an amazing feeling.”
Sarah, who has dreams of becoming a paramedic, bagged a B in sociology, C in biology and an A in health and social care. She also got an A in her extended project, which she studied for in her own time.
Speaking about her battle with glandular fever, the County High student said: “The school was really good. When I came out of hospital I was still really tired in the afternoons, so the school changed round the times of my exams so I could sit them in the mornings.
“Because I was so poorly I didn’t expect these grades – I hoped I’d done OK but this is unbelievable.”
The 18-year-old said she was having a meal with her family to celebrate her results, before having some friends over. Sarah is now looking forward to beginning her paramedic science degree at Greenwich.
For 19-year-old Jessica Ayres, of Debden Road, Wimbish, the results were about proving she could bounce back from a difficult 12 months last year.
The County High student said: “I’m in shock right now – I didn’t expect this,” she said, after finding out she had got two A*s and a B. “This was my third year of sixth form because I failed last year.
“I didn’t really work that hard and it was a big wake up call when I realised I’d failed. Fortunately, I went straight to the teachers and they said I could come back for a third year.”
When asked if she had any advice for other sixth form students who might find themselves in a similar situation, Jessica, who is going on to study history at the University of York, said: “It sounds obvious but just make sure you work hard and are well organised – you can achieve so much more.”
More good results
Other students pleased with their A-levels were Jack Kelly, 18, from Little Canfield, who got A in IT, B in media studies and C in film studies, Chloe Wernick, of Woodlands Park, Dunmow, who got three Bs in psychology, sociology and drama, and Declan Furber, 18, of Landscape View, Saffron Walden. He got three Cs after studying double business applied and government and politics.
Pals Theo Hutchinson, 18, from Sewards End, and James Kenyon, 18, of Church Road, Chrishall, celebrated getting into their chosen universities, Newcastle and Loughborough respectively, along with the rest of their group of friends Charlie Davies, Sean Kirk, Kieran Luck, Joe Minter and Nicky Thompson.
Eighteen-year-old Ellie Bass secured a place at the University of Sheffield, with an A* in religious education, B in history and A in media. She is studying philosophy.
Oxbridge students
In all, Eleven County High students will be taking up a place at either Oxford or Cambridge, while six more have been accepted to a range of medical schools.
Overall, the school’s A*-C pass rate was exactly the same as last year – 92 per cent – as was the percentage whose grades were all at either A* or A (37).
The A*-E pass rate was once again 100 per cent.
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