Shakespeare, foolish men and sheep: this year's AQA Baccalaureate results

This year's results for our students in the AQA Baccalaureate Diploma included an impressive 5 distinctions and 6 merit awards.

A Distinction, the top award, requires an A grade in all of the AQA Baccalaureate components (the extended project, enrichment and critical thinking) as well as in three A level subjects.

Distinctions were awarded to:

• Fame Cheerapatanakom for his project entitled " How original are Shakepeare's Roman plays?"
• Susannah Cohen: "Men are fools: why is so much male behaviour seen as foolish and irrational by women?"
• Edward Hornsby: "An assessment of water quality at a sewage outlet point in the Oxford area; an ecological investigation"
• Madeleine Hurry (pictured above) "The biological basis of HIV and its connection to the development continuum"
• Bella Maine: " Is the stratification of the UK sheep industry beneficial to flock health?"

Students achieving a Merit award were:

• Praise Izinyon: "Should patients completely trust their GPs?"
• Grace Kirby: "What can explain the criminal punishment of animals in early modern Europe?"
• Rebecca Love: "How legitimate is the classification of Shakespeare's final plays as romances?"
• Chrystal Pereira: "The Tunisian revolution- was it inevitable?"
• Charlie Richards: "The causes and impact of the deforestation of the Amazon"
• Charlie Skegg: "The Seven Deadly Sins- a photographic portfolio"
• Noel Thompson: "A comparison of a selection of fossil fuels"

In its feedback the Board commented that "the centre should be applauded on such an interesting array of projects". On the Enrichment part of the qualification the feedback stated that" the centre clearly participated in a range of valuable and meaningful enrichment activities" which students have "clearly enjoyed". Well done to all those involved.

Williams and McCartney

Congratulations to one of our past students, Jack Williams, who has just graduated with a 2:1 from The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and shook Sir Paul McCartney's hand in the process! Jack has been in the studio recently recording an EP and is due to sign a record deal in the near future.We'll keep you posted.

A level results 2011 — 85% A*–B

This year's Upper Sixth succeeded in achieving our highest ever tally of A*–B grades (an impressive 85%) with 19% of all grades received being A*s.

More than a quarter of our students gained all A/A* grades, and subject highlights included:

• 100% A*/A in Ancient History, Classical Civilisation, German, Japanese and Russian
• 82% A*/A in Economics
• 65% A*/A in Maths
• 63% A*/A in Art and Physics
• 63% A*/A in Biology

The photograph above shows Femi Gibson celebrating his results — AAB in Economics, Sociology and Business Studies — securing his place at York University to study Sociology.