There was a resounding feeling of pride as Year 13 students and their teachers reflected together on their experiences of the last two years which culminated in the Academy’s best ever results for IB examinations.
   
Westminster Academy staff and students celebrated a 100% pass rate at key stage 5 in both the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and the International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP), resulting in exciting and diverse offers for university and apprenticeships. The average IBDP point score was 36, the school’s highest ever average obtained under normal assessment conditions, and well in excess of the world average of 31.  Five students scored 40+ points out of a possible 45, a truly impressive academic achievement. IBDP graduates expressed their relief after a long period of hard work and worry, and their excitement to secure places on courses that range from Maths and Mechanical Engineering to Architecture and Anthropology. 

Impressive individual performances in the IBDP included Jyothi Hanumantha and Mondir Mokeddes, who both achieved 42 points. Jyothi explained how the challenges of the last few years had had an impact. “I feel as though I didn’t give my personal best, but I was able to give my best in the context of a pandemic.” She enjoyed the “stimulating content” of the International Baccalaureate (IB): “It’s thrilling to engage with an international syllabus,” and Jyothi’s international engagement will continue with a gap year role in India with educational charity, Turning Pages. Weza Carolina De Carvalho Espada De Sousa secured a place at Balliol College, University of Oxford, to read History and French. Dania Mehar and Freya Hammers earned 40 points and both admitted to being ‘terrified’ about collecting their results. Dania is now looking forward to taking up a place at Queen Mary University of London to study Medicine. She said, “I’ve seen myself grow and progress through the IB. A huge part of it is the community and friendships you make along the way.”

The school’s IBCP graduates also celebrated outstanding results and are now looking forward to attending universities such as University College London (UCL), Loughborough, Queen Mary and Birmingham, as well as embarking on apprenticeships. IBCP students study a blend of at least two IB academic subjects, the IB Core as well as a Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma. IBCP graduate Nuha Begum achieved two IB certificates in English and Maths plus D*D*D in her Applied Science BTEC Level 3, which secured a place at UCL. She said, “It feels like a relief. I’m glad all my hard work paid off.” She explained her journey to selecting her university course of Applied Medical Sciences, “Originally I didn’t like Science, but the teachers here made me fall in love with it, so I studied Applied Science as part of the IBCP. I’m excited that I’ll now have the chance to commit all my time to Biology, which I’m particularly interested in.” Joining her at UCL will be Ivan Sarandev, who will be studying Environmental Geoscience. Maisae Bennadi El Ktaibi is taking up LLB Law at SOAS after achieving her IBCP, which specialised in Business. Fellow student Cher-Crystal Hewitt-De Lisle has opted for a contrasting pathway. After achieving two IB certificates plus D*D*D* in her BTEC Level 3 in Business, she will now be taking up a place on a degree apprenticeship with property consultancy, Allsop. Haris Tupela was also successful in achieving a place on a degree apprenticeship. He graduated from the IBCP with D*D*D* in BTEC Applied Science and is looking forward to starting his journey to becoming a quantity surveyor at Arcadis.

WA students received their IB results in July at the same time as 173,878 other IB students worldwide. May 2022 was one of the most complex sessions that the IB has run, with over 2 million responses marked, 1,243,723 examinations and 1,070,051 pieces of coursework! Restrictions associated with the pandemic limited some of the social elements of learning that students usually experience in Year 12, but despite this the cohort at Westminster Academy managed to get the most out of their time in the Sixth Form. Various projects they took on included setting up a sign language club, volunteering at a local community festival, spearheading the school’s Pride Youth Network, organising a pen pal scheme with children in hospitals and helping a school in Sudan. This cohort also hosted the first Theory of Knowledge (TOK) exhibition at WA, as well as a beautiful Visual Arts exhibition. Mohammad Nasser, whose IBDP results secured his place on a Neuroscience course, explained why such opportunities were valuable. “I had the chance to give a science lecture at UCS and also received a Crest Award for my research. Both experiences motivated me to work harder, as I could see that what I was doing was appreciated and there was some significance to the work I was doing. Extra-curricular activities have helped me with various skills I’ve needed. I encourage all younger students to join as many extra-curricular activities as they can to enhance their studies.”  IBCP graduates Reece Dixon and Samir Rahman highlighted the opportunities given to them through Career Ready, having completed internships at Mitie and Citi respectively. Samir now looks forward to taking up a degree in Accounting and Finance, while Reece eyes a future in Software Engineering.

Principal Dr Paul Wood praised the achievements and resilience of the cohort. “Congratulations to our IB Class of 2022! The students have emerged from these recent challenging years with a phenomenal set of results which give them choices of exciting future pathways. What shone through on results day was their pride, and the pride of their teachers. I’m delighted for this year group. They are caring young people whose supportive, principled approach has made an impact in our school and wider community. I look forward to hearing how they do in the future and wish them all the best.” Dr Wood added his thanks to colleagues and the supportive network of parents, carers, sponsors, governors and supporters who have contributed to the opportunities and achievements of the cohort throughout their time at Westminster Academy.

Updated 18/08/2022 following the release of BTEC results.