11 Mar 2020
Cambridge Assessment International Education hosted the inaugural South African Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards at a ceremony held earlier this week at The Venue Melrose Arch in Johannesburg.
The awards recognised the outstanding achievements of students in the June and November 2019 examination series in Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Levels.
This was the first of two award ceremonies due to be held in the country, with 134 Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards presented to students from 42 schools from across the country. The next event takes place in Cape Town on Thursday, 19 March.
Ten students received prestigious ‘Top in the World’ awards for gaining the highest standard mark in the world in a single subject. A further 55 students won ‘Top in South Africa’ awards and five students received ‘Best Across’ awards for attaining the highest cumulative total standard marks across a set number of subjects.
The Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards recognise the success of students taking Cambridge examinations in over 40 countries around the world.
The event was attended by Saul Nassé, Group Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment who is visiting the country for the first time since his appointment in April 2018.
Congratulating students on their achievements at the event, he said: ‘It is students like you who represent the future of excellence in Cambridge education. Your success is so important to your families and schools, but it also important for us. Our aim is to support a new generation of globally minded young people to become ready to take the next step in their lives and ready to genuinely make the world better, safer and more peaceful. You should all be incredibly proud of your achievements, congratulations to you all.’
Saul has been in South Africa to meet with business stakeholders, visit Cambridge International schools, meet school leaders at a Principals’ Forum as well as to attend the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards Ceremony.
Some of the schools and students who received awards made the following comments about their achievements:
Peter Stead, from El Shaddai Christian School, received the Top in the World award for Cambridge International AS Level Mathematics, as well as the Top in South Africa award for Cambridge International AS Level Accounting and First Place in the Best Across Four category at Cambridge International AS Level for the November 2019 exam series.
He said: ‘It is a great honour to receive these awards. I put in a lot of effort into the examinations and it is very fulfilling to see that hard work rewarded.
‘I went through every detail of every subject as many times as I could to ensure the knowledge stuck. I wanted to be 100 per cent prepared for any question. However, simply knowing the facts isn’t enough on its own, so I also practiced as many past papers as I could in order to be 100 per cent prepared for the exams.’
Juan Visser, Cambridge International’s Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, added: ‘We are delighted that learners at our accredited schools continue to excel year in, and year out.
‘They are well placed to take on the next challenge in their young lives; be this university, college or the world-of-work. Our programmes are designed to equip students with the necessary skills needed to succeed in life, and our qualifications are recognised by universities around the world, including South Africa. I would be amiss if I did not recognise the dedicated teachers without whom these achievements would not have been possible. We wish these students all of the best for the future.’