Six UAE students among world toppers in IGCSE, AS Levels

Rajaram Ganesan from Merryland International School, Abu Dhabi

Dubai - This week the students received the 'Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award' held by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).

Six students from UAE schools are on top of the world after achieving the highest marks globally in the 2016 IGCSE and AS Level exams.
This week the students received the 'Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award' held by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).
Named as one of the six students to make the world toppers list was 17-year-old Rajaram Ganesan.
Ganesan achieved the highest mark in AS Level Mathematics, but he is no stranger to success.
For his IGCSE exams last year, the Merryland International School (Abu Dhabi) student notched up eight A*'s.
And after sitting for his AS Level exams earlier this summer, results day in August did not disappoint as he achieved an 'A' grade in all five subjects including English, Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, the world topper shared his thoughts on the impressive feat, but admitted he was confident from the start.
"I was actually in India when my results came out so my father read them out to me over the phone. I was full of joy of course, but I felt confident I would achieve a world ranking."
Each year the Award is held to celebrate outstanding achievements of secondary school students across the world.
And for Ganesan, all that revision time was well worth the effort.
"I worked really hard for this Award but without my school, my great teachers and my parents support, it would not have been possible."
With a dream to pursue a career in Chemical Engineering, the bright 17-year-old has already started applying for his university applications - and the goal is to make it into an Ivy League college.
"I am setting my sights on Harvard or Stanford."
This year more than 90 awards were won for exceptional performance in Cambridge examinations, including 46 learners who attained the highest marks in the UAE in a single subject.
16-year-old Rohan Mitra achieved the only A* in his school for the IGCSE Travel and Tourism exam.
A student at The Westminster School Dubai, he said the Award was a "pleasant surprise".
"I got the results in August and I knew I did well but I was only told about the global award about three weeks ago. I had no idea."
The Grade 11 student won the 'Top in Subject Awards' for the UAE and is now in the process of choosing his subjects for his AS Levels next year.
"I'm still trying to make my mind up about what to do but I'll likely choose computing and physics, as I'm more attached to these types of subjects," he said.
 
Cambridge Outstanding Awards Winners - World Toppers