NEWS IN DETAIL...

Spirits high as A-level results released

After months of hard work and hours of exams, over 400 students at Cornwall College in St Austell and Camborne celebrated today as they collected their A-level results.

High flyer Lydia Rudge achieved the four A-grades she needed to claim her place on a Natural Sciences degree at the University of Bath. She studied Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths at the St Austell campus.

Lydia said: “I’m so relieved to have got my results, I really wasn’t expecting the grades I got, but I’m so pleased. I found some of the exams quite hard, but it all paid off in the end. I’m just looking forward to going to the University of Bath to study Natural Sciences.”

Rachael Putt is hoping her B and C grades from studying Media Studies and English at St Austell along with an A in AS-level Film Studies will set her on the career ladder. The 18 year old from St Austell is hoping to gain a media apprenticeship and is currently looking for organisations she could work for. The excellent results came as a shock to Rachael who had missed a lot of her final year through ongoing illness.

Rachael said: “I wasn’t expecting this as I’ve been ill all year. I’m really pleased. It’s a personal achievement.

“I’m looking for an apprenticeship in print or newspapers. I’m not completely sure of what career I want so if I get into the workplace and work my way up I can decide as I go along.”

Ben Blake, 18 from Liskeard, will jet off to Australia now that he has received his results in Business, Law and Media from Cornwall College St Austell where he will work to fund his travels. The trip will give Ben time to decide on his future career, which could involve taking over his family’s bakery business.

Ben said: “I’m thankful that it’s all over and that I passed everything. I can’t wait now for my trip to Australia to take time out to think about what I want to do in the future.”

Carla Hovell, 27, moved to Penzance from Sheffield two years ago and was having trouble getting a job that was not seasonal, so decided to return to college to do A-levels. She has got 4 As at AS-level and will continue her studies at Cornwall College Camborne from September.

“I was having trouble looking for more permanent employment,” said Carla. “All the jobs I could find were seasonal and I didn’t want that. So I decided to go back into education and study my A-levels. I’m amazed I’ve got such good results, I’m still in shock to be honest.”

Camborne student Emma Pearn, 18, has had to battle postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) which causes an abnormal increase in heart rate leading to severe dizziness and fainting when upright, as well as being diagnosed with dyslexia within the first fortnight of studying A-levels at Cornwall College.

Despite missing lengthy periods of college and having to adjust to different ways of studying to aid her dyslexia, Emma achieved two As and a B in her A-levels in Business, Law and Psychology, with which she has gained a place on the foundation degree in Business at Cornwall College where she has decided to continue her studies.

“I was keen to study a degree locally,” said Emma. “It works out to be much more economical doing it this way and the business degree at Cornwall College has a good reputation and will give me a great grounding to study law in the future. My dream is to be a lawyer.

“I am so happy with my results, they are more or less what I was predicted to get so I’m really pleased with them. I’m actually a bit gobsmacked I achieved such high results as I had some health problems just before the exams were due to start.”

Russell Lawrance, Head of A-levels at Cornwall College, said: "This is the point in the year where all of the hard work by the students and their teachers pays off. I’m so proud of each and every one of our A-level students and I wish them the best of success in their futures.”

Many students study A-levels as a progression route to higher education and Cornwall College still has clearing places available on some of its degree-level programmes, awarded by Plymouth University.  A dedicated hotline is open, manned by the College’s specialist staff on 0845 22 32 567.  Further details are available HERE.

For more information about studying A-levels at Cornwall College please CLICK HERE.

 Image gallery

 <- What are these?

<- Back to news list