By Tilly Walder
A-levels results day came upon us yesterday (Thursday), and the Isle of Wight Observer popped along to the Island VI Form in Nodehill to have a chat with their graduating students.
Joe Reeder, 18, who had been studying at the VI Form since 2021, said his exams went really well. He is going to be attending the University of Bath to study pharmacy after achieving an A* in Biology.
History, law and politics student, Dan Woteh, 18, said: “Honestly, I was shocked, my grades were higher than I was expecting. I’ve got everything I need to attend Royal Holloway to study politics.” His long-term career goal is to travel around the world, working in government organisations.
Grace Bolton, 18, took graphic design, Spanish, and classical civilisations at A-level. When asked if she was happy with her results, she said: “I’m very happy. I’ve got the results I need to study graphic design at Bristol University.”
Ukrainian student, Oleksii Bakal, has only been at the Island VI Form for one year, but despite his short stay here and the language barrier, has managed to achieve an A-level in computer science. He said he was disappointed with his results, but it was okay as he still got into Leicester University. He aspires to work in the artificial intelligence field one day.
The IW Observer also interviewed David Mumford, head of the Island VI Form, in Nodehill. When discussing the grade levels, he said that he was generally happy with the results, but they were a little below the predicted ones. However, all students this year have been affected by Covid, as this is the first formal exam they would have ever sat. So far the school has received more than 220 applicants, and David hopes that next year everything will be back to normal, as students coming through would have formally sat their GCSEs.
David commented: “Success is defined for each individual. The VI Form helps people grow as individuals; we are always here to offer help and support to those who need it.”
The school will be open today (Friday), for those who might not have got the results they wished for, for teachers to help students plan their next steps in their education journey.
There may be one more student’s result worth mentioning; I am very pleased with my A-level grades. Yesterday I received an A in media studies and a Distinction* in Fashion. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so impressed with my business studies grade, scoring myself an E, but even that was a pleasant surprise as I was preparing myself for a U!
It was at the VI Form I found my passion for media. Under the guidance of my excellent mentor, Peter Cronin, I managed to land a job at the IW Observer newspaper, and am thoroughly enjoying it.
Isle of Wight Observer