A-level Results 2016

There was much to celebrate at Wells Cathedral School on Thursday, following this year’s successful A-level results. More than 15 per cent of the grades achieved were an A*, whilst over a fifth of the cohort achieved a full complement of A* or A grades. Just under a quarter of all students were awarded at least one A* grade. 13 students achieved two or more A* grades, among them – Esther, Kirsty, Hope, Harry, Charles, Benjamin, Eleanor, Isaac, Samuel, Henry, Isabel, Matthew and Jacob. Four pupils gained all A* grades: twins Isaac and Samuel, who each achieved four A* grades; Harry, who gained three A* grades; and Isabel, who also gained three A* grades. Isaac will go on to study computer science at Durham, Samuel to study mathematics at Warwick (having turned down his place at Cambridge), Harry to study veterinary science at Bristol, and Isabel to study material science at St Anne’s College, Oxford. Henry Lockyer also gained three A* grades as well as an additional two A grades, and will go on to study mathematics at Bath; whilst Benjamin Hall gained three A* grades and an additional A grade. Academically, Wells students have achieved places at top institutions across the UK and elsewhere to read a diverse range of subjects, including English, environmental science, history of art, psychology and engineering. Charles will read philosophy at St John’s College, Cambridge, whilst Thomas will read law at Wadham College, Oxford. A large number of candidates will be continuing with their music studies at Music Colleges and Conservatoires in the UK and around the world, where many have won prestigious scholarships for the forth-coming year. Almost half our candidates have specialised in music during their time in the sixth form, benefiting from all that brings to them; many of them have successfully juggled academic work, sporting and co-curricular commitments with intensive instrumental programmes and long hours of practice – all whilst maintaining a balanced life! Grades across all the subjects at Wells have been strong this year, with very good results in science and mathematics – 67 per cent of entrants achieving a grade A*-A in physics, almost one in three chemists achieving the top A* grade, 59 per cent gaining A*-A grades in mathematics, and two thirds of the group achieving the top grade of an A* in further mathematics. Grades for English, the humanities and modern languages were also high, with over half the cohort gaining an A*-A grade in English and French, and two thirds gaining the same grade in religious studies. Two thirds of the cohort gained an A* in photography, three quarters gained an A*-A grade in history of art, and 84 per cent gained an A*-B in music. Principal Elizabeth Cairncross said, “All schools know that the world needs resilient, confident, thoughtful, kind, reflective young people who will go on learning as they go on living. It takes a big team to build that, and we’re very proud of all these students, and of the teams, at home and at school, that have enabled them to move on to their different next stages.”