A pair of high-achieving twins are sharing GCSE joy after securing identical grades in their summer exams.
It was double delight for Jordanians Zain and Omar Tashamneh, pupils at British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi, who each scored an impressive top grade of 9 in nine subjects and an 8 in another.
The happy siblings, 16, are now looking forward to further studies, although they will differ on the subjects they pursue.
Zain said she was relieved that she and her brother earned the grades they need to follow their academic dreams.
British School Al Khubairat
“I want to study law and my brother wants to study engineering, and because we've got 9 in three subjects that we want to take, we met our requirements,” said Zain.
“This would definitely would help us get into top universities and give us a competitive stance against pupils from different countries.
“It was a lot of work and there were times when I felt like I would give up but kept pushing on."
Omar and Zain are already thinking ahead to the university challenge still to come.
“These grades for GCSE are very important because we need to get above 7 to get into A-levels and we need these specific subjects [for applying to university)],” said Omar.
Omar will be studying physics, maths and economics in his A-levels, with Zain taking courses in mathcs, economics and psychology.
Grade 9 is the highest grade, set above A*. The new system, in place since 2017, helps provide more differentiation, especially among higher-achieving pupils.
Depending on their performance, many pupils choose A-level courses or a vocational qualification.
Pursuing medical careers
Many pupils said achieving high grades would help them apply for medical school in universities across the world.
Raneem Jamil, a 16-year-old Pakistani pupil at Brighton College Al Ain, achieved a grade of 9 in eight subjects.
“It feels amazing. I'm very happy with my results,” she said.
The pupil is keen to follow in family footsteps.
“My aspirations come from my parents, who are doctors, and these grades will for sure help me get into better universities and give me motivation for my A-levels," she added.
Sophie Ritchie, a 16-year-old pupil at Brighton College Dubai, was happy to have scored 9 in seven subjects.
The teenager aims to study medicine either in her native New Zealand or in the UK.
"It's a good starting point, although ultimately at university, it is your A-level results that determine whether you get in," she said. It was consistency and hard work had helped her achieve such good results, she added.
Anooshay Khan, a 15-year-old Pakistani pupil at Al Ain British Academy, picked up four 9s and two 8s.
“I really hope to become a doctor. I’m very interested in the sciences, especially biology," she said.
“I would like to go to Scotland or somewhere in the UK, such as the University of Dundee or the University of Manchester."
Law, economics and engineering on the horizon
Leen Banihani, 16, a Jordanian pupil at Dubai British School Emirates Hills, aims to study law in the UK and said she would be submitting GCSE grades for university admissions.
“I feel like all my hard work paid off, but also I couldn't have done it without the support of my teachers and the resources that they provided me with,” she said.
She achieved the top grade of 9 in nine subjects and an 8 in one, and will be taking A-levels in maths, English and economics.
She advised pupils taking GCSE exams this year not to give up, even when they did not feel confident about their abilities in a subject.
Mariam Alkhyeli, 16, an Emirati pupil at Al Ain British Academy, said she had scored 8 in five subjects and was extremely happy.
“I will be doing A-levels based on my GCSE results and then I will also be using this in university as I was thinking of doing something in engineering or anything maths-related.”
The pupil said she hoped to study maths, chemistry and biology A-levels.
Andreas Chouery, a 16-year-old Greek pupil at Brighton College Dubai, achieved 9 in three subjects, 8 in four subjects and 7 in one.
“It was really what I expected.” said Mr Chouery who wants to study engineering in the UK.
“Not only do these grades help me get in to university, but I think it's a great learning experience and builds good habits for the future.”
Millie Matheron, 16, a French-Australian pupil at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, achieved a 9 in seven subjects.
She said she aimed to pursue a course with elements of economics, finance and business at a university in Melbourne or at University College London or the London School of Economics.
“I think these grades would really help me,” she said.
