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Exeter College International Baccalaureate Students Excel on World Stage

Exeter College students studying on the International Baccalaureate (IB) have achieved an outstanding set of results with ten students achieving an impressive score of 40 points or more and one student receiving a rare 45 out of 45. 39 points is the equivalent of achieving three A Levels with the grades of A* A* A*.  

Exeter College has a proud and successful history of delivering the IB and recently celebrated its 30th year. The IB is an academic programme of study which pushes students in an array of subjects. 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 35 candidates took the highly academic International Baccalaureate (IB) and achieved an average point score of 35.3, which is significantly higher than the world average of 30.3. 

Amy Dunbavin obtained a place at the University of Cambridge to read Human, Social and Political Science in 2025. Before taking up her place, she aims to travel including teaching in an international school. Speaking about her place at Cambridge, she said; 

“This course looks incredible – with opportunities to study modules from a range of disciplines alongside some fantastic social scientists from around the world. Following university, I imagine I will work in fields associated with human rights law and activism as I would like to utilise my privilege of such a fantastic education to represent the needs of people who are often overlooked or feel unable to represent themselves on matters of climate injustice or human rights abuses.” 

A student wearing red holds her results and smiles at the camera.
Amy (centre) collecting her results.

Speaking of her experience at Exeter College, Amy added; 

“The breadth of knowledge I have gained in only two years is quite remarkable and is beyond the expectations I had of the course before starting. I am incredibly lucky to have been supported by a truly inspiring group of students and teachers. 

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to carry on studying subjects such as German, Maths and Biology which I would not have otherwise done, had I taken A Levels. I must also mention how influential Martin Gilbert and the Reach Academy were on supporting my academic studies. The support of Martin throughout my application to university was outstanding, giving me the confidence not only to apply to aspirational universities but to feel that I had the best chance possible at being successful in my application.” 

A group of students hold their results in front of a college building.

Scarlett Joiner (pictured right above) plans to take a year out before going to university. She said; 

“I would like to study medicine, and I am applying to medical schools now I have my results. I am hoping to travel this year and use the German language skills I’ve learnt on the IB. I feel optimistic about the future because taking the IB has given me confidence in my academic ability.” 

Speaking about her time on the course, she added; 

“Although some of the IB has been very challenging, I have really enjoyed studying it at Exeter College. I feel particularly grateful for the friends I have made over the past two years on this course. I have liked being able to go into the city during breaks between lessons, and this has afforded me a great sense of independence. I liked the structure of the IB timetable – it is quite full, meaning that you don’t have extremely long breaks, which I like. I like the breadth of knowledge that studying the IB gives.” 

Billie Stokes, Assistant Principal at Exeter College, added;  

“These excellent IB results are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and resilience of our students. Their achievements are truly remarkable, and we are incredibly proud of their success. This accomplishment not only reflects their academic excellence but also their commitment to continuous learning and personal growth. Congratulations to all our students on their exceptional performance.” 

You can find out more about the International Baccalaureate by reading our latest edition of EXE, the Exeter College alumni magazine, which features several IB alumni to celebrate 30 years of delivery. 

Find out more about studying the International Baccalaureate at Exeter College.   

Exeter College Student Accepted at Prestigious American University

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. In this piece, we talk to one of our current high-flying students who has been accepted into a world-leading university…

An Exeter College student is set to jet across the Atlantic to study with Harvard University after being offered a place with the world-renowned Ivy League university.  

Charlie McNamara, 18, is currently in the second year of her International Baccalaureate (IB) with Exeter College and, after a lengthy application process, has been one of around just 5% of applicants to be accepted to study with Harvard.  

“I was so happy when I found out that I just burst into tears,” said Charlie, who will be studying for a Liberal Arts degree.  

“I logged in to the system to find out, and I just read ‘congratulations’ on the screen and burst into tears as all my work had paid off. It was a huge challenge even to make the application, and I didn’t make any assumptions about getting in, but I knew I wanted to try and I’m so glad I did.”  

Charlie, who has lived in Devon all her life, has been successful in applying for financial aid with the University, which will see the world-renowned institution pay over 90% of her expenses around tuition, accommodation, travel and subsistence. Harvard tends only to accept around 2,000 applicants in a year, making Charlie’s achievements even more remarkable.  

It has been a long road to Harvard for the 18-year-old, with the application process taking around a year to complete and significant exams, interviews and forms to fill out along the way.  

“Harvard was always the dream – my absolute first choice,” said Charlie. 

Charlie will be taking up her place at Harvard in September 2021

“I started working on how I could do all this over a year ago. I had to take the American SAT exams and their application process was a lot more personal than here in the UK. They asked for a lot of information on my background, my hobbies and my interests, as well as my education history.” 

With successful SAT results behind her, Charlie then had to make her case to Harvard in a process that is notoriously difficult to get through. With support from the Exeter College Reach Academy, staff members and her family, Charlie had everyone backing her to make a success of the application. 

Charlie continued: “Everyone was wonderful in helping me get in, and I’m just so grateful to have this opportunity. 

“I’m incredibly proud of myself and I can’t thank people enough for helping me.” 

It could have been a very different education journey for Charlie. She originally applied to study A Levels with Exeter College but was convinced at her enrolment appointment to consider moving to the International Baccalaureate as a way to continue exploring the subjects she enjoyed most and gain an internationally-recognised qualification.  

Charlie heeded the advice of her lecturer and never looked back, studying six subjects within the IB as well as a core unit. Her studies saw her take on English, Maths, French, Global Politics, Psychology and Environmental Science as well as spend time on creative, active and community-focused projects.  

The former West Exe student said, “When I arrived at enrolment, the lecturer asked me to think about the International Baccalaureate as an option because of what I was saying I was interested in. I decided to try the IB for a few weeks, but once I started I didn’t even think of doing anything else!” 

Speaking about her time with Exeter College, Charlie said, “The teaching here is really good. I enjoy the style we’re taught in on the IB. It’s very interactive, and they allow for personalisation within the classroom. 

“The teachers seem to enjoy teaching and that makes it more fun for us. It’s a very challenging course, with a lot of work, but everyone is so supportive.”  

Charlie will find out her results on the IB this summer and will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the College’s IB results last year when 100% of students passed and over half of the students achieved the grades requested to study at the University of Oxford. 

Charlie’s Exeter College Tutor Clara Rodriguez said, “We’re incredibly proud of Charlie and what she has achieved. To get an offer at one of the best, if not THE best, universities in the world is a huge accomplishment, and we’ve all been smiling since we found out the good news. 

“Charlie has been an exemplary student and we can’t wait to see what she achieves going forward.” 

Charlie’s four year study programme at Harvard will start in September 2021 after she takes a year out to spend some well-earned time with her family. She will get the chance to specialise her Liberal Arts degree at Harvard during the course, and one day hopes to move into humanitarian aid or international relations as a career.  

Interested in Exeter College?

Find out more about the International Baccalaureate at Exeter College.

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