In May and June 2006 students from The Sultan’s School sat IGCSE exams for the second time in our history. Our 2006 group faced a different challenge from their predecessors the year before. The 2006 cohort entered in 7 or 8 subjects each (since those who entered English Literature in addition to Language possessed two English subjects).

Because of the wide range of subjects offered an additional qualification (to the normal IGCSE) was possible. Those students who gained at least 7 passing grades from this range of subjects: 2 languages, a Humanity/Social Science, a Science, Mathematics and a Technical or Creative subject (eg IT or Music or Art) were also eligible for an additional award called the International Certificate of Education (ICE). Of the 41 students who qualified for the ICE, 23 gained Merit passes, 14 ordinary passes and only 2 failed. Ghalia Al-Sharji and Ali Al-Marhubi deserve special praise for obtaining ICE passes with Distinction. ( See Press Conference Article )

In the regular IGCSE Exam series the results were very pleasing. Ghalia Al-Sharji and Khadija Al-Adawi earned 2 A*s, 5 As and 1 B each. Maryam Al-Balushi gained 7 As and a B. I do not want to go into too much statistics but it is important to share the great success of some of our students and staff. Under Ms Cleves the entire Art class managed to gain C grades or better, with Saleh Al-Adawy getting an A*. Music and Drama also enjoyed absolute success whilst results in the ‘big’ subjects- Mathematics, Arabic and English were extremely pleasing. For instance in First Language Arabic there were 13 A passes and 3 A*s (Iftiaal Al-Adawi, Jumana Al-Maskary and Mohsin Al-Shuaily).

As parents and teachers we are of course aware that not every student can gain an A pass. What is important is that students have achieved at or beyond their potential. Many of our students are in this category. Through sheer hard work, persistence and determination they have achieved a grade well beyond that which would have been predicted. It is these students that I am most proud of, especially those who have struggled mightily with communicating their knowledge to the examiner in a second language. These students will really shine under the IB programme because it is clear that the most critical personal attribute for success is self-motivation and discipline.

Ray Zinsli
Examinations Officer