August 2011 saw Xaverian students and staff celebrating a set of record-breaking results. Pass rates, high grades and applied results all went up, with the majority of A2 students gaining A*-B.

There were many individual successes, with a number of students scooping straight A grades including many at A* grade.11 students have gained places at Oxford and Cambridge universities, and many others will have secures places at prestigious universities across the country. Two students have also gained places at RADA – the second time we have sent two students to the prestigious acting school in recent years – where only 25 places are available nationally.

There are many highlights, and the college is especially celebrating the fact that a huge 55% of grades were at A*-B, with 25% of grades overall at A*-A.

Mary Hunter, college principal, commented;

“I am so proud of our students – they have excelled in every way possible. Every year they manage to find a way of improving on the previous year’s results. With the government putting more and more emphasis on higher grades as a way of getting into the very best universities, I am particularly delighted that the majority of our students have gained A* – B grades – this is the real measure of how successful we are. Applied results are again outstanding – 100% pass rate at BTECs and Applied A-Levels means that students are achieving at all levels. Well done and a big thank you to our hard-working and dedicated staff.”

Some of the main highlights this year include:

At A2 Level:

• Overall pass rate of 99.7%
• Out of 2006 papers taken there were only 7 fails
• A*, A and B grades are at 55.2%
• A* - A grades at 25%
• 81.7% of grades were A* - C
• The vast majority of subjects had a 100% pass rate

In Applied subjects – BTECs:

• 100% pass rate in BTECs – for the sixth year running!
• A stunning 87.5% of grades were Distinctions and Merits (equivalent to A-C)
• A quarter of all grades were D* - starred distinctions

There were some outstanding successes in particular courses at A2 Level:

• In English Literature there were 15 A* grades awarded – almost 20% of the total entries
• Further Mathematics – 85% A* - B
• Maths – 20 A* grades and 68% A*-B
• Sociology – 68% A* - B
• Economics – 65% A*- B
• 35 A* grades in Physics, Chemistry and Biology – and a further 75 A grades
• French, German and Spanish – 80% A*-B
• Law – 34% A*-A
• Politics – 35 A*-A and 63% A*-B
• Film Studies – 32% A*-A

Music – 75% A*-B