Global winners: Four from twin cities among the toppers of the world

Cambridge announces list of high scores in June examinations.

As the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards were announced on Tuesday, there were 74 students from the twin cities who must have felt like they were on the top of the world. Four of them were even declared by Cambridge as “Top in the World”.

These outstanding candidates, Tanya Hameed, Sana Munir, Haran Innocent Bhatti and Urwat Til Vusqa, have scored more marks in a specific subject than any other candidate around the world in the June examinations.

Hameed from Beaconhouse School System got this award for his performance in Psychology, while Munir from Roots Montessori High School secured the honour for her performance in Pakistan Studies. Bhatti outshined everyone across the globe in Religious Studies (Bible knowledge) and Vusqa got the distinction for her performance in Mathematics (Syllabus D). Bhatti and Vusqa are also from Beaconhouse.

The rest of the 70, were either top in Pakistan or top in Islamabad.

According to the University of Cambridge International Examinations, the awards celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of secondary school learners in Pakistan in the June 2011 Cambridge examination series. Many schools across the country, including the twin cities, hosted individual award ceremonies to celebrate the achievements of their students.

Over 280 learners from Pakistan received awards for exceptional performance in Cambridge examinations, including 50 students who achieved the highest marks in the world and another 40 who attained the highest marks in Pakistan in a single subject.

The awards also celebrate the achievements of those students who give an outstanding performance in subjects that are not yet so widely taken in Pakistan and those who have achieved the total highest cumulative marks across a number of subjects. The winning students outperformed thousands of candidates worldwide who sat examinations in Cambridge O Level, Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS and A Level.

A total of 74 students from Islamabad and Rawalpindi managed to make it to the “prestigious list”, in which the highest number of the outstanding candidates was from Beaconhouse School System. Twenty-three students from the school excelled in their respective subjects. Roots School System followed with 20 students who outshone their peers in the Cambridge examinations, while Headstart School was third with eight students making it to the list.

William Bickerdike, Regional Manager of Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan congratulated the students and said, “These achievements are a credit to the partnerships which Cambridge has established with schools and demonstrate the dedication and commitment of teachers, support provided by families and friends, and learners’ determination and passion to succeed.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2011.