Exam Success for IB Students

Students studying the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) at The Sixth Form College, Solihull are looking forward to a worry-free summer after getting their exam results today.

The IB is offered by the College in conjunction with Tudor Grange School. It is an alternative to A Levels and is a broad and challenging qualification, highly regarded by universities and employers alike. The course is a two-year qualification in which students study six subjects, including English, Mathematics, a foreign language and a science. This year’s IB students achieved excellent results and are now looking forward to progressing to university.

The top two IB students this year are Thomas Lumb and Melisa Saniye Ekizoglu, who both achieved a grade of 40 in their Diplomas. For Thomas (pictured right), a former Tudor Grange School pupil, he studied Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics at higher level, while taking English, Italian and Business at standard level.

The 17-year-old from Shirley commented, "I’m really pleased with my grade. I only needed a grade of 33 to get my place at university, so I’ve done better than I hoped. The course has been hard work, but fantastic and I’m glad I chose to study the IB. It is a very broad, well-rounded course that enabled me to study a range of subjects and I have enjoyed it."

Thomas’s grade means he has got a place at Bristol University to study Biochemistry and hopes to pursue a science-related career.

Meanwhile, Melisa Saniye Ekizoglu’s grade of 40 came after studying German, Business and Visual Arts at higher level as well as English, Biology and Maths Studies at standard level. Melisa is 18 years old and is an overseas student, who came to the College from Turkey.

Another successful IB student is Victoria Ellery-Jones (pictured left), who came to the College from Tudor Grange School and achieved a grade of 36 in her Diploma. She studied Business, Geography and English at higher level, and Physics, Maths Studies and Italian at standard level. She will now go to university and is set to study Business and Management with Communications at Birmingham University.

"I’m delighted with my grade," she said. "These two years on the IB has been good fun and I have made some great friends. IB students work in such close proximity, so I think we will stay friends for life. I really liked that the IB was such a broad course. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after College, so it has kept my options open. Now I’m looking forward to university and hoping to eventually work at the BBC – television and more specifically editing are of real interest to me."

Paul Ashdown, Principal at the College, added: "These excellent results are the culmination of two years of hard work from the students and also from the staff here at the College and at Tudor Grange School. We congratulate them on their success and wish the students well in their university studies. We also look forward to another set of outstanding examination results when A Levels are revealed on 20th August."