Exeter College is celebrating another year of exceptional academic results, following the best International Baccalaureate results in the college’s history earlier this summer. Today’s A Level results are also setting new records, with students achieving an overall pass rate of 99.7%, well above the national average of 97.6%.

The success is particularly notable as this is the first year that all A Level results have rested solely on a final exam at the end of two years of academic study, rather than a combination of results achieved over two years.

The results represent a landmark achievement for the college and students, with this being the third successive year Exeter College has achieved its best overall pass rate with 30 of the 36 A Levels offered at the college achieving a 100% pass rate.

Exeter College has also remained well above the national average for ‘high grades’, with well over 50% of the college’s students achieving A*, A or B grades and an impressive 82% achieving A* to C grades, opening up a wide range of options for further study with top level universities or career opportunities in employment or via an Apprenticeship.

88 students from the college have achieved exclusively A* and A grades, with many progressing on to university study.

Today’s results confirm Exeter College’s position as the region’s first choice, Ofsted Outstanding, college in Devon with impressive results across a broad range of subjects from Fine Art to Sociology.

Principal and Chief Executive of Exeter College John Laramy said, “No matter what the national media says about A Levels, these reformed linear A Levels are very demanding academic qualifications and students who have passed today have demonstrated the deep knowledge they have accumulated over two years with us through their exam performance.

“We now measure ourselves against the very best sixth form colleges in the country and I am pleased to say that against this benchmark we are doing well.

“These results and the last year of success is real credit to our students and I would like to both congratulate them and thank them for their contribution to life at Exeter College.  I would also like to thank our excellent teaching and support staff who each year work with our great students to achieve outstanding results.”

Maths and Science subjects continue to excel at the college, with a staggering three quarters (75%) of Further Mathematics students achieving high grades and 25% getting the very top mark of A* while almost 40% of Mathematics students received an A or A* grade. In addition, a quarter of Physics students secured an A or A* grade and students on the challenging Computer Science course are celebrating with around 60% achieving high grades. These positive results are especially welcome with the College’s new Digital & Data new build set to start commence later this year.

Recent investment in Exeter College’s new Gym and Dance Studio has seemingly paid off as high grades for the Physical Education A Level reached over 60%, a new record for the subject, with students making use of the new state-of-the art equipment.

In addition, learners in the college have excelled in a wide range of A Level subjects, including many that are under pressure nationally. For example, all Modern Foreign Language subjects performed incredibly strongly, with students of French, German and Spanish achieving a 100% pass rate.

In a time of increased pressure on creative subjects, all six of Exeter College’s Art A Levels achieved a 100% pass rate, with an incredible 83% of Graphic Design students achieving high grades. And, with recent news showing a concerning national drop in students studying English at A Level, Exeter College has seen almost a quarter of English Literature students getting an A or A* in this year’s results. 

Finally, with Philosophy A Level being rarely on offer outside of fee-paying or selective sixth forms, the college has seen its students of Philosophy continue to excel with over half of the students in this prestigious subject gaining high grades.

On Wednesday next week, Exeter College celebrates the success of its vocational and technical provision, as many students use these subjects as their passport to university or a well-paid career.

These hugely impressive A Level results follows on from Exeter College students achieving the best International Baccalaureate results in the college’s history with a 100% pass rate and nearly a third of students achieving more than 40 points out of a possible 45.

Exeter College Vice Principal Jade Otty was delighted with the academic performance of the college, and paid tribute to the hard work students put in during their studies.

“I’m obviously pleased for the college that these results are so impressive, but I’m especially thrilled for the students who deserve this success for all the hard work they have put in,” said Jade.

“We have fought hard to keep a breadth of choice in our A Level curriculum so that our learners can select a programme of study that motivates and inspires them so that they thrive and achieve. They are supported by our amazing teachers, who are A Level and subject specialists and really care about the students they teach.

“Our commitment to being a student-centred college that always puts the needs of our young people first is clearly working for our learners. We are all so pleased and proud of them and can’t wait to see what they all achieve in the future.”

There’s still time to apply to study at Exeter College in Septmeber.