Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards, UAE
Press Information
December 2011
Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards, UAE
University of Cambridge International Examinations is delighted to announce the winners of the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards, UAE. The awards celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of secondary school learners in the UAE in the June 2011 Cambridge examination series.
Comment from Mr Iain Davis, SRS English Department
Simply the Best!
We may often be confident and know we are capable, but the level of success that we achieve can sometimes surprise us. Some of the most remarkable achievements that we make in our lives come not from a conscious desire to make them, nor do they come from an unrelenting determination to obtain them. Instead, many of our greatest and most rewarding moments in life are gifted to us as rewards for our perseverance, discipline and commitment.
Such achievements often come when we least expect them. When J.K. Rowling, unemployed, sat up late at nights penning her first Harry potter manuscript she never would have guessed that her efforts would lead to such a remarkable series of teenage Literature. When Patrick Makau laced up his running shoes in Berlin last year, after weeks of training, he never expected to smash the World Record for the fastest marathon time (2hr 03 mins). When Aisha Al Shared, Azraa Ismali and Maha sat alone behind their examination desks in May 2011, after months slaving away in my lessons, they never expected to be awarded by Cambridge International Examination board certificates for achieving the highest marks for IGCSE English Literature and AS English Language and Literature in the whole of the United Arab Emirates!
This achievement cannot be understated. What these three students achieved in their examinations last year far exceeds outstanding. Let’s put what they have accomplished into context. Aisha and Azraa received certificates for jointly achieving the highest mark in the Cambridge English Literature examination out of the whole of the UAE. This means that out of all the other students in all of the other schools in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other Emirates, our two students did the best in their Literature exam and coursework. This means that they best all other nationalities in this subject throughout the UAE, even British born students studying here. This means that they achieved this amazing feat in one of the hardest and most challenging of the Cambridge International Examination courses. Similarly, Maha was awarded a certificate for the highest achievement for AS English Language and Literature in the whole of the UAE, another very difficult Cambridge course. This means that she was awarded the highest grade for this course in the whole of the country.
Having taught Aisha and Azraa English Literature for the past three years, and Maha for her AS English, I can sincerely and honestly state that all three students deserve nothing less. Not once in my nine year career, has one of my students received such a prestigious award, nevermind three of my students in the same year! They have really made me, the department, our school and their families extremely proud. Such distinguished awards from an International examination board have never been received by any student in the history of our school. The fact that these girls have been awarded these certificates must mean a lot to them and their families as they truly are simply the best in the UAE