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First IB Students' Results Earn Them Places At University

July 7th, 2010

Tollbar Sixth Form College is today celebrating its first ever set of International Baccalaureate results. Students have achieved some remarkable results, and many have already been able to confirm their places at university, well in advance of A-Level students who will not receive their results until mid August.

Unlike 'A' levels, students are awarded points up to a maximum of 45, with 34 points being equivalent to 4 grade A’s at 'A' level. 45 students achieved the higher award of the IB Diploma and 29 students will receive IB certificates. Both the diploma and certificate are welcomed by universities for degree courses.

The IB results when compared to last years 'A' level results are broadly similar with students achieving an equivalent pass rate at A-B of 60%. This equates to an average UCAS points score per candidate of 290, in line with previous years very good 'A' level results at Tollbar.

As in previous years Tollbar has catered for a wide range of interests and abilities. We are pleased that all students have made good progress over the last two years and now have a qualification to be proud of and one which will open doors into Higher education and employment.

Individual student successes at Tollbar include:

Andrew Bell, who achieved 36 points, and has secured a place at Leeds University to study Aero-Nautical Engineering.

"I am really proud," said the 17-year-old from Waltham. "I've got my place confirmed at my first choice university and my parents will be pretty impressed I think."

"It was a lot of hard work, but if you are prepared for that then IB is definitely the way to go."

Amy Brawn (18) also scored 36 points, and has been offered a place at Newcastle to study Law.

Other successes include Sammy Needham, who achieved 32 points and has secured a place at Lincoln University to study criminology and forensic investigation.

"All the hard work paid off," said Sammy (18) from Grimsby. "IB gives you so much more choice, and if you are not sure what you want to do then it keeps your options open. I am so happy to have passed."

Hannah Hulme, (18) who scored 31 points, will study Spanish and International Politics at Aberystwyth University. It is very rare for a student to achieve a full 7 points in an individual subject, but Hannah achieved that in Spanish.

Hannah, who has already been offered a scholarship to Aberystwyth, would like to be a translator, and her parents' move to Spain five years ago prompted her love of the language.

"I came back to Tollbar to study IB and it has been so worth it. It is such a rounded course and makes your choices afterwards that much better. It has been hard work, but more than worth it," she said.

Katherine West (18) will use her IB Diploma to study Psychology at Tulsa University in Oklahoma. The internationally recognised qualification means she has confirmed her place for 2011, following a Gap year with her parents.

Katherine scored 28 points.

"I stayed on at Tollbar to study IB because it kept my options open for studying abroad. IB is a recognised qualification for universities all around the world, not just in the UK, and I feel so privileged to have been accepted in Tulsa. I cannot wait, and I want to thank the staff at Tollbar for helping me to get this far," she said.

Sam Durkin (18) scored 28 points and is now through to the final selection stage to become an RAF Pilot. Sam, from Grimsby, will enter the RAF at Officer level and will train for up to three years to fulfil his ambition to fly.

"IB has been great," said Sam. "I had to work for it, everyone does, but I am so glad I did."

Other high scorers were Scott Pullen, 29 points, who will study Geography at Leicester.

Mark Strickson, 29 points, will study Medical Science at Nottingham Trent.

Students studying Psychology achieved exceptional results with 83% of students achieving 5 out of a possible 7 points. Three other top performing subjects include Business and Management ( 82%), Visual Arts ( 79%) and Geography (79%)

To receive the IB Diploma students are required to study 6 subjects, and these must include English, Maths, Science and a Language. In addition to the 6 subjects, students also complete a core curriculum consisting of a 4,000 word extended essay, 150 hours of creativity, action and service, as well as a qualification in Theory of Knowledge.

Tollbar Principal David Hampson OBE said:

"This is our first set of IB results and I am very proud of the students' hard work and dedication in achieving these results. The IB requires commitment from the students and I am delighted that they are now being rewarded with university placements."

"The college held a presentation dinner for the Sixth Form last week, and many of the students commented on how the IB had changed them. The opportunities that IB presents for the students are tremendous and they have all matured during their two years of study."

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