Top Marks for gifted Jacqueline
21/10/2011
Jacqueline Agate
Exceptional former College student Jacqueline Agate is celebrating after learning she has scored the highest mark in the country for her Cambridge Pre-U Certificate in Global Perspectives and Independent Research this summer.
The eighteen-year-old, who lives in Burgess Hill, and studied for the Pre-U qualification alongside A Levels in English Language, English Literature and French, at the Haywards Heath campus, has now taken up a place at the University of Leeds to read English.
In addition to two As and an A* in her A Levels, Jacqueline was amongst 35 students who achieved the highest marks in their Pre-U subjects. All award winners were rewarded with an official certificate from Cambridge and an Amazon voucher for £50 to support them in their further studies.
Ann Puntis, Chief Executive, University of Cambridge International Examinations said: "It is extremely rewarding to congratulate Jacqueline Agate at Central Sussex College, who has worked so hard to achieve tremendous success in Cambridge examinations. Topping the list of excellent candidates in a Cambridge Pre-U subject is a performance of the very highest calibre. Jacqueline has shown us truly outstanding ability. I hope she can not only draw great satisfaction and pride from this, but also take inspiration from it in setting goals in the future."
Jacqueline said: "I found the Pre-U to be a challenging but extremely rewarding and inspiring course. The seminar and dissertation aspects especially gave me invaluable preparation for university. It's a real chance to take control of your studies and explore the things which genuinely interest you before perhaps going on to higher education. I would undoubtedly recommend the course and am so glad Central Sussex offered the opportunity!"
The Cambridge Pre-U award has been offered at the College as part of the Very Able and Talented Programme since it was introduced in 2008. It allows academically gifted students, who are studying a range of subjects to further develop their knowledge and potential within a chosen subject area, and gives them an important edge when applying to study at a top university. 148 schools now teach Cambridge Pre-U with 50% more schools entering candidates for Pre-U examinations this year. It is recognised and accepted by all universities in the UK and universities in the United States including all Ivy League universities.
David Towsey, who co-ordinates the College's Very Able and Talented programme at said: "Jacqueline is an extremely able and exceptionally diligent student, who has a real passion for both English Language and Literature. Her Pre-U research project, on the value of Shakespeare's writing, gave her the ideal opportunity to combine these interests. We're very proud of her achievement and think she will go on to achieve even more at university."
He went on to say: "Pre-U Global Perspectives at Central Sussex is now in its fourth year and continues to go from strength to strength. Results this summer went up yet again, with 83% of students achieving D3 or above (the equivalent of Grade A at A-Level), and 58% managing D2 or above (the equivalent of A*)."
Cambridge International Exams sent a film crew to the campus on 18 October, to film the first year Pre-U class, and interview students and David Towsey for a promotional film which will be use to publicise the course across the country. The crew will travel to Leeds next week to film Jacqueline, as part of the production.
Another outstanding student this year at the College was student Hannah Bower, 18, from Burgess Hill, who got maximum marks on three out of four English Literature modules, and only dropped eight marks on the fourth module. Hannah was awarded an A* in English Literature, and has now taken up a place to read English at Churchill College, Cambridge. Liz Foster, Curriculum Area Leader for English at the College said: "Hannah an exceptional student - both because of her ability but also because of her capacity for hard work and her genuine modesty. In addition to her A* in English Literature, she also got an A* in English Language, demonstrating that she possessed exceptional ability in all areas of the subject. Furthermore, she also got A* in both History and German - a truly extraordinary achievement."
