A-Level results 2011

It's been a good year for A-level results at City of Westminster College, with a 92 per cent pass rate among students taking the 21 A-level and Intensive (one-year) A-level subjects offered by the College.

The College was pleased to see strong performances in the core sciences, with a 90 per cent pass rate in Chemistry and Physics. There was a 100 per cent pass rate in Accounting, Business Studies, Economics and Law. Other subjects with a full pass rate included English Language & Literature and History.

Lucy Montier, 18, from Camden achieved three B grades in Sociology, Media and Film - excellent results that mean she is off to her first choice university Leeds in September to begin a Sociology degree course.

Lucy, who wants to become a teacher, says: “I’m so pleased! I worked really hard because I’d had the experience of doing badly at school and didn’t want a repeat. I’m so glad I came to the College because not only have I got the results I needed, but I’ve met lots of people in the same boat – we all wanted to work.”

Lou Fioravanti, 47, from Kensington & Chelsea has achieved the A grade in English Literature that means he can take up a place at Cambridge University in the autumn to study for an English degree.

Lou, who is Italian by birth, says: “I’m going to university because I never had the opportunity before. I took my baccalaureate in early 1980s and needed this A-level grade to get in.”

Claire Yeo, 21, from Haringey achieved A* grades in Maths and Psychology – all the more impressive as they were intensive (one-year) courses. She also received an A in her AS English exam.

Claire, who is working as a bar tender and did not have the opportunity to take her A-levels earlier due to a spell of ill health, has deferred university and will apply for entry in 2012-13 to study either Law or Politics. She says: “This is my first attempt at A-levels and I’m very pleased with my results. The hike in university fees may affect my choice of degree - if I study Law I may be more likely to earn enough money to pay back my loan!”

Vishal Chauhan, 22, from Croydon achieved A* grades in Biology and Chemistry intensive (one-year) A-levels and is planning to use them to get into medical school. Vishal already has four A-levels and began a Philosophy and Economics degree course before deciding to switch track.

He says: “My degree wasn’t right for me, whereas I’ve really enjoyed studying sciences. I’m getting work experience in a GP’s surgery now and deferring my application until next year because I know medical schools are looking for the right package of results and experience.”

Nuna Farrokh, 18, from Westminster was a few points short of what was required to take up her place on a Psychology degree course at Roehampton University this September, but heard on results day that her place was still confirmed.

Nuna, who studied English, Media and Psychology A-levels, says: “I’m so pleased I got into Roehampton! I hope to go into a counselling career when I get my degree.”

Yasmeen Ojeleye, 19 from Hackney already has a Law A-level from a previous college and came to City of Westminster College to top up with subjects that would enable her to achieve her dream of getting a Law degree. She achieved B grades in English Literature & Language and Politics and a C in Sociology.

Yasmeen says: “I was originally hoping to study Law at SOAS, but instead I’ve been accepted by my insurance option University of Westminster. I kept calling my little brother – who always sleeps late the holidays – and finally got through and made him open the letter for me. I’d definitely recommend City of Westminster College. The teaching here is really good. Now I’m finally going to be a Law student!”

Access to Business students awarded scholarships to university

It’s been another great result for Access to Higher Education Diploma in Business at City of Westminster College, with five students celebrating scholarship awards with their tutor Hilary Matthews.

These scholarships enable our students to move on to higher education courses in the Business field at University of Westminster and are awarded to candidates who show great potential. Gold Scholarships (worth £4,000) have been awarded to Siobhan Aziz and Adriel Thomas, while Silver Scholarships (£2,000) have been awarded to Raul Hernandez, Edvin Manushi and Julia Ryabchych.

Adriel Thomas, 22, is originally from Vancouver, Canada and begins an Economics degree course this autumn. Adriel, who worked as a waiter to fund the one-year course, says: “I came to the UK around four years ago as a musician, but I didn’t see a lot of future in it. I met a lot of people working in banking and finance, and that made me interested in studying Economics.

“The course has been intense and challenging because it required a lot of work, although I didn’t find the content overwhelming. I’d recommend Access, and thanks to this scholarship I have a pot of money to help take care of costs at university. It’s early days, but I hope to have the chance to work in the UK when I graduate.” Julia Ryabchych, 33, is originally from Ukraine and came to the UK eight years ago to join her family. Having supported herself through College by working as a freelance hairdresser, she will study Accounting with Management. Julia says: “All my life I’ve wanted to move on to higher education. I have an aptitude for maths and numbers – I find them much easier than languages – and this is a field that will enable me to work in any department of any company.

“I didn’t find the Access course too much of a shock and because we were studying for three days a week, this gave me time to manage studying and working. I would recommend this course – and thanks to Hilary and her support with the course and the scholarship application I have enough money now to focus only on my studies!”

City of Westminster College Business and Community Studies Lecturer Hilary Matthews has been assisting students apply for scholarships to University of Westminster since 2006 and a total of 39 Access to Business students have received awards, enabling them to pursue their studies in Business and Management fields at degree level.

Access to HE Diploma is an intensive one-year course accredited by the Open College Network London Region. It is designed for adults (19+) who have missed out on previous education opportunities and want to move on to higher education courses. In addition to Business, City of Westminster College offers Access in Humanities & Social Sciences, Nursing, Photography and Science. There is also a Pre-Access Science & Health Studies programme.