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Exeter College Students Excel in the International Baccalaureate

Exeter College students studying the International Baccalaureate (IB) received their results last week, with two students achieving an impressive score of above 40 points (out of a maximum 45). 

The IB qualification allows students to study six subjects (three at higher level and three at standard level) across a wide range of disciplines spanning languages, humanities, maths, and sciences and is usually the preserve of private and academically selective providers globally. 

This year 25 students took the highly academic IB and achieved an average point score of 35, which is significantly higher than the world average. 

Principal and CEO, John Laramy CBE, said; 

“The IB is an amazing academic programme of study which pushes students in a fantastic array of subjects. 

“Students often praise how this group of students and staff feels like family. I would like to thank the staff who lead, coordinate, and teach on the IB programmes for their dedication and support. 

“These results are a credit to the students; I am delighted that Exeter College continues to perform way above the world average.” 

A student poses with her parents and they all smile at the camera.
Eleanor Keay, with her parents, on IB Results Day

Student Eleanor Keay is planning to travel before deciding on an academic route. She said; 

“The IB has been a phenomenal course both in terms of my academic and personal development. The teachers are passionate about their subjects and always there for support. 

“The interdisciplinary nature of the course is excellent for developing well-rounded students: despite my subjects having seemingly little overlap (English, History, Spanish Higher Level, Maths, Environmental Science, and Global Politics) I found there to be overlap that really furthered my understand of the subjects.  

“The small cohort size set within the large background of Exeter College cohort gives students a strong relationship with peers and tutors while still having access to a wide variety of extracurricular activities at the college – mine included Debate Society, Law Society, and History Reading Society. 

“My results have opened lots of doors – partly because of this I am taking a gap year to develop my Spanish in a native environment, as an Au Pair in Spain and through volunteering/backpacking in South America. I have very broad academic interests, but will probably study some combination of Social Anthropology, Politics, History, Spanish and Environmental Science. In the future I would like to work in the foreign service, for IGOs or NGOs or in Education” 

A student poses with her teacher on IB results day.
Grace Pamplin with Assistant Principal, Billie Stokes

Student Grace Pamplin also collected her results today. She is planning to progress to the University of Reading to study History. Speaking about how much she enjoyed the IB, she said; 

“The diversity of subjects, the support you get from the teachers and the tight-knit community that the IB is, it just felt like a nice community to foster knowledge and confidence in your abilities. 

“The best times in lessons were when we were debating and with the teacher support, the whole experience was amazing.” 

Bille Stokes, Assistant Principal, added; 

“Our IB learners have worked incredibly hard to achieve these results and we are so proud of them all.  

“The IB is a fantastic stepping stone into the world, with many students choosing further study in the UK or abroad. Exeter College wishes all our IB students all the best for their bright future.” 

Find out more about the International Baccalaureate at Exeter College. 

March 2000: Exeter College ranked as ‘best in the west’

As part of Exeter College celebrating 50 years as the UK’s first ever tertiary college, we’re talking to some of the inspirational students, staff and alumni who have helped make us the Ofsted Outstanding education provider we are today. 

Then: 

In March 2000, we welcomed Further Education Funding Council bosses into our College, who completed a breakdown inspection over a week-long period.  

Ranked against seven other local education centres, Exeter College came out on top. We obtained the best score for two performance levels and came second for a third.  

The inspectors commented on the outstanding student support and the impressive increase in our overall A Level pass rate, with a 13% increase since 1998.  

Tim Smith, Principal at the time, said, “At a time when education is coming under such intense scrutiny, it is good to achieve a grade profile that is probably the best in the west in the current academic year.”  

Now: 

Two decades later and we continue to uphold these incredible results, currently standing as Devon’s only Ofsted Outstanding further education College. 

We have also been named as the best in the South West for employer satisfaction in Apprenticeships and we’re on the Sunday Times Top 100 Not for Profit Employer list. On top of this, we’ve been selected as one of the first colleges in the country (the only one in Devon) to offer the T Level qualification, rolling out this September. 

Additionally, we’ve maintained our amazing results, setting new records for the latest academic year. Our A Level students achieved an overall pass rate of 99.7%, well above the national average. Our International Baccalaureate results were the best in the College’s history, with 100% of students passing and nearly a third of students achieving more than 40 points out of a possible 45.  

We couldn’t be prouder of all our students, staff and partners who have helped to shape and uphold the success of our college.  
 
Interested in joining Exeter College? Apply now online.  

Exeter College is celebrating 50 years since being named as the UK’s first tertiary college. Although our roots date back to the 1800s, our status as a tertiary college marked a revolution in further education and 2020 marks our 50 years of excellence since that landmark. If you have a memory of Exeter College through the years that you’d like to share then contact marketing@exe-coll.ac.uk or get involved on social media using #ExeColl50 

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