CANDI Students Praise Teachers’ Support in ‘Most Challenging Year’ on A Level Results Day

Students at City and Islington College are celebrating their A Level results after overcoming the ‘most challenging year’ in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s results have been estimated after exams were cancelled due to Covid-19. Many of our students achieved A*-C grades and have gained places at many of the country’s top universities including Cambridge, Durham, UCL, Exeter and King’s College London.

Among this year’s top performing students was Alex Stanley, 17, who attained A*s in all three subjects History, Politics and English Literature, and is heading to the University of Exeter to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He said: “Personally, I’m delighted. In my assignments I was getting A* and A, so it was what I expected but there has been so much negativity in the news.

“Many students have been downgraded this year and a lot of my friends haven’t got the results they expected, so it’s a bittersweet feeling. I am one of the lucky ones. When lockdown started it was difficult adapting to online lessons and having to do more independent work than essays, but in a strange way it has been good preparation for what university will be like. My teachers have been brilliant. They’ve been so helpful and supportive. In December I was looking at a C in History, but they pushed me and now I have an A* which is fantastic. They really care about the students, and that is all you can ask from a teacher.”

Megan Oldham, 18, is going to Durham University to study Biosciences after attaining an A* in Psychology, Biology, Chemistry and an A in Maths. She said: “Not all of my results were quite what I expected, but I got the grades to get into my first choice. It feels good to have somewhere secure to go for the next few years. 

“I was happy at the start of the grading process, but then was more worried with centre weighting and the thought my grades would be affected. It felt like an eternity waiting for the results. Studying during lockdown was fine. I found remote learning with video calls really helpful, as I was able to ask questions and get answers from my tutors straightaway. The teaching was really good and we finished our Biology course really early, which gave me more time to revise.”

Mohammed Radwan, 18, gained three A*s in Computing, Maths and Further Maths and a A in Physics and is going to Kings College London to study Computer Science. He said: “Overall, I am happy with my grades. I had an extended holiday, which gave me time to relax and not stress too much. But when it finally came round to getting my results, I was a bit nervous because there was a lot of uncertainty about how the grades would be given.

“Online lessons changed the learning experience and I struggled to adapt at first, but by the end I was more engaged and used to it. The teachers were professional and well prepared in all departments for each subject, and had a plan to make sure we made good progress.” 

Throughout lockdown teachers have been giving lessons online and providing a range of help and guidance for students including mental health support.

Earlier this week several students appeared in reports for the BBC News and Evening Standard and shared their hopes and fears in the run up to results day.

Principal Kurt Hintz said: “I am enormously proud of the perseverance shown by our students in continuing their studies online throughout lockdown. In this most challenging year, they have demonstrated their resilience and maturity. There will always be students who didn’t get the grades they were hoping for, and we have staff on hand, both in person and online, for any students who would like advice and guidance or want to discuss their results.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff and congratulate our students on their A Level results and wish them every success for the future.”

Note: this article was updated in late August, to reflect changes to students’ grades following the Government’s decision to accept Centre Assessed Grades.

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