Aldar Academies, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain’s premier leader for private education, has marked another year of outstanding academic success as its pupils achieve exceptional exams grades in the 2019 I/GCSEs.
The long summer wait for students across the organisation’s private academies was finally over on Thursday as pupils’ anxiety awaited the exam results – the culmination of two years of hard work and dedication. Anxiety soon turned into elation with students once again exceeding expectations and international standards.
Students sat under the new 9-1 grading structure which has been implemented to reflect a move towards more challenging International General Certificate of Secondary Education (I/GCSE) examinations. A* to A grades are equivalent to grades 9 to 7 in the new structure while grades 9 to 4 are equivalent to A* to C.
At the educator’s Al Yasmina Academy, 88 per cent of students were awarded 9-4 grades (equivalent to A* to C) at five or more subjects including English and Maths, while at Al Mamoura Academy the total I/GCSE pass rate was a massive 97 per cent, with 75 per cent of students achieving five 9-5 Grades. At Al Ain Academy, 89 per cent students achieved five 9-4 grades, while Al Bateen Academy recorded its best-ever I/GCSE exam results, with an impressive 90 per cent of pupils achieving 9-5 grades.
This year’s top-performing student within Aldar Academies’ network was Georgian Nino Ephremidze, of Al Yasmina Academy, who was awarded an outstanding ten I/GCSEs at Grade 9 (A*).
Commenting on the success of students on 2019 I/GCSE Results Day, Sahar Cooper, CEO at Aldar Academies, said: “On behalf of all the academic staff at Aldar Academies I would like to congratulate our students for their excellent individual and collective examination outcomes.
“Of course, these examination results reflect the combined efforts of our wonderful pupils, the dedication of their dedicated and skilled teachers and the significant support they have received from their families; a real team effort.
“This year’s cohort worked incredibly hard throughout their studies and these outstanding results being celebrated today mark the unwavering commitment of students and staff alike; they are all a credit to Aldar Academies. We wish every single student all the success as they move onto the next chapter of their educational journey.”
Al Mamoura Academy surpassed expectations with 75 per cent of students achieving five (9-5) grades.
Among those completing their I/GCSE studies, 33 per cent of students achieved 9-7 grades (A*/A), while 52 per cent of students achieved 9-6 grades (A*/B). Overall, the academy’s entire cohort of students performed strongly in the subjects of English, with the vast majority achieving a 9-5 grade. 100 per cent of students achieved a 9-7 grade in History, with 100 per cent of students achieving 9-6 in Science.
Several Year 10 students were also entered for English early, with 100 per cent students achieving a grade of 4 or higher.
The top performing subjects were English, Science, History and Arabic. The highest achieving students were Pakistani Israa Saeed, who achieved seven 9-5 grades, including six 9-6 grades and three 9-7 grades, and Emirati Hassa Al-Nahyan, who achieved three 9-7 grades, four 9-6 and seven 9-5 grades.
Sarah Weaver, Principal at Al Mamoura Academy, said: “We’re thrilled to celebrate our first year of outstanding GCSE results, as a school we are now striving to build on this for the future. It’s been hugely satisfying to see our students excel in those exams and subjects related to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines because they’re such an integral part of our future-focused curriculum and achieve outstanding outcomes that are well in excess of international standards.
“This is a results day to be proud of for our entire school community. This wonderful achievement not only points to continued excellence from Al Mamoura Academy, but also reinforces the fact that the UAE’s education sector is continuing to mature and flourish.”
At Al Ain Academy, 89 per cent achieved five 9-4 grades, while 84 per cent of them achieved five 9-4 grades including English and Maths. Top performing student was Aymen Abada who achieved six grade 9s, one grade 8, one grade 7 and one grade 6. While fellow pupil Evan Titus was the second highest scorer, achieving four grade 9s, three grade 8s, and two grade 7s. Student Alyssa San Pedro also achieved three grade 9s, one grade 8, three grade 7s and one grade 6.
Chris Nourse, Principal at Al Ain Academy, expressed his joy at the academic success achieved by its students, saying: “Al Ain Academy is so proud to announce an increase in exam performance for GCSEs in 2019. All our Year 11 students should be rightfully proud of what they have achieved – 89 per cent of students achieved at least 5 A*-C grades (9-4) with 58 per cent achieving at least 5 A* to B grades (9-6).
“This is a result of diligent students, inspirational teachers and supportive parents working in partnership as part of a cohesive and successful learning community. Congratulations to all our students, their families and staff for your combined efforts which have led to this wonderful outcome. We look forward to welcoming many of you back into our A level programmes in a few weeks’ time.”
Al Bateen Academy had a record year for I/GCSE exam results, with 90 per cent of its students achieving 9-5 grades in subjects including English and Maths. The results reveal a three-year upward trend, demonstrating a five per cent increase on last year’s pass rate, and overall exceeding international standards.
Al Bateen’s top three achieving pupils were Malaysian student Elisyazaviera Faizul, who achieved twelve 9-8 grades, Egyptian student Sara ElKasabi who achieved eleven 9-8 grades and Faris Khalili with ten 9-8 grades. The top Emirati student was Eisa AlQubaisi with seven 9-7 grades.
David Hutson, Principal at Al Bateen Academy, said: “These outstanding results are not only reflective of the hard work and dedication of our students, but also testimony to the professionalism and expertise of our highly qualified teaching staff.
“As a school we should also acknowledge the wonderful support of our parents, who have collaborated closely with the school to ensure our students were fully prepared. This is a proud day for our whole school community; we would like to wish all of our students every success as they continue their journey to becoming mature and responsible global citizens.”
At Aldar Academies’ Al Yasmina Academy, English Language, English Literature and Further Maths were among six subjects graded at ‘Outstanding’ by the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) – adding to the 15 subjects in total which were graded at ‘Very Good’ or ‘Outstanding’.
The academy recorded an impressive 46 per cent of 9-7 grades among all exams sat by its I/GCSE students, while 85 per cent of total entries earned 9-4 grades.
The academy also recorded incredible achievements in the core subjects of English and Maths with 99 per cent and 96 per cent achieving grades of 9-4 respectively as well as a 100 per cent pass rate overall. 85 per cent of Al Yasmina Academy’s UAE cohort achieved at least one top grade between 9 and 7.
Jared Nolan, Principal at Al Yasmina Academy, said “After the celebration of some outstanding A Level results at Al Yasmina last week, our Year 11 students have certainly taken their opportunity to shine this week.
“It is with immense pride that I am able to share the news of what can only be described as a truly exceptional set of I/GCSE result at Al Yasmina this year.
“Aldar Academies and Al Yasmina are proud to play such a pivotal role in the community we serve and these I/GCSE results are an integral part of us meeting our core purpose of ‘empowering the next generation to shape our future’. I would like to thank our dedicated staff team and our incredibly supportive parental community for the part they have played in this success and of course congratulate our students for their hard work and all they have accomplished.”
Nolan also singled out the “exceptional achievement” of star pupil Nino Ephremidze who, with her achievement of 11 I/GCSEs at Grade 9 (A*), was Aldar Academies’ highest scoring student. He also praised Al Yasmina Academy’s highest scoring Emirati student Abdul Rhaman Kruse, who achieved “a very impressive” four grade 9s, one grade 8, two grade 7s and two grade 6s.
