A long journey
Moesha Gumpo’s journey to academic success has been a long one – starting when she left Zimbabwe to come to the UK as a refugee. She was brought up, along with her two sisters, in a small flat in Northolt, north-west London, by her mother Sharon.
Then, in 2009, the family appeared on the Channel 4 documentary How the Other Half Lives. In each episode, a wealthy family assisted one that was living below the poverty line.
The Gumpos were sponsored by the Brotherstons, a wealthy couple who had children at Brighton college. The relationship between the families grew and the Brotherstons introduced Moesha to the school.
Recognising that she was academically gifted, the school awarded Moesha a 110% scholarship when she was 13. And its faith was repaid on Thursday when she achieved two A*s and 7 As in her GCSEs.
She told South Coast News: “I’m so happy. My hopes were very, very low so I am ecstatic. Thank you so much.”
Fast learner
In just eight years, Lucy Lei has gone from barely speaking a word of English to taking top grades in her GCSEs. When Lucy left Yanping in China with her mother, she only knew a few words such as “good morning”. The pair settled in Darlington, where she attended Haughton academy. She told Press Association: “I still remember my first day at primary school, seeing all the faces, and feeling homesick and scared, but I am very happy now. Everyone has been so nice and supportive and my results are better than I thought they would be.”
The right notes
Naomi Bazlov, 13, a talented pianist, is celebrating achieving an A* in her Russian GCSE, three years early.
Naomi, who attends King Edward VI high school for girls in Birmingham, has been selected for the prestigious National Maths Camp at Queen’s College in Oxford next week and got stellar results in several UK competitions including the Nottingham young musician of the year. She has taken her piano licenciate diploma, an honour normally only achieved by adults.
Road to recovery
Having to sit an exam that you have hardly studied for is the stuff of nightmares, but that didn’t stop Tom Verelst-Way from achieving 10 A*s and one A in his GCSEs.
The 16-year-old was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in the run-up to his exams, and was left almost unable to study as a result of tiredness and recovery from treatment.
He told Press Association: “It really affected the way I could work because it gives you really severe headaches. It was very, very severe.
“I could hardly do any work, which meant I had to catch up a lot and have extra lessons. I’m on the road to recovery now. I want to go to Oxford so I’ve got my work cut out for me.”
Surprise success
Jess from Gloucestershire got in touch via GuardianWitness to let us know that she has also overcome illness to secure impressive GCSEs.
“I’ve only had 30-40% attendance to school due to an auto-immune disease,” she told us. “I’ve surprised myself massively in my results! I got an A*, 3 As and 4 Bs which I didn’t expect at all because of how much I’ve missed, so I’m really pleased.
“I’ve no idea how I got an A* in English literature. It’s not a strong subject of mine, but I’m not complaining. I’m also insanely proud of all my friends who have all got the grades they needed to take their A-levels.”
Proud parent
Chloe Beaney had to miss the majority of year 10 at Cramlington Learning Village after undergoing a life-saving heart transplant – but has managed to achieve C grades in her GCSEs.
The teenager also battled acute myeloid leukaemia - a rare type of blood cancer - after being diagnosed with the disease aged two.
She told PA: “I’m really happy, I did better than I thought. I knew that I had to work really hard to be able to get where I wanted to be. I stuck in as hard as I could.”
Her mother Catriona Wilkinson added: “I am absolutely thrilled. It has been really difficult for her as she had home tuition for a while until she was ready to come back to school.
“She has been through an awful lot but she has just worked really hard. I could not be more proud.”
Chloe plans to go to sixth form at Cramlington Learning Village and has ambitions to become a mid-wife.
On the ball
GCSE results weren’t the only exciting envelope that Sam Naylor has opened lately – the 16-year-old has been offered a contract with a professional football club.
Sam picked up nine GCSE grades at St Michael’s Catholic Academy in Billingham today, but had leave quickly to travel to Coventry City Football Club for training.
He told PA: “I’ve achieved all nine GCSE grades and I’m now an under-18s goalkeeper for Coventry City.
“I’ve actually got to go down to Coventry for training this afternoon and I will generally spend the majority of the week down there and come home on the weekends.”
Sam has been offered a two-year scholarship at the club and says he hopes to play for them afterwards.
All-round achievements
Two pupils from the King’s school in Rochester added glittering GCSE results to their impressive sporting and artistic achievements.
Jemima Kite is an Irish dancer who competed against 18,000 others at the World Irish Dancing Championship in Bucharest last year, and earned an A*, six As, two Bs and one C on Thursday.
Meanwhile, her classmate Will Humphries added three A*s, three As and four Bs to his accomplishments on the water as a regional and national competitor in rowing.
Their headteacher, Jeremy Walker, told the Guardian: “We are delighted with the results achieved by all of our pupils today – they have obtained them alongside a full commitment to other, extracurricular and co-curricular opportunities. I always say to my students it’s the exam results that get you the interview, but it’s the person who walks through the door who gets the job.”
Star turn
Seren Hawkes, one of the young stars of the new Swallows and Amazons film, has received a C in her drama GCSE, and says she is “extremely happy”.
The 16-year-old, who studied at St John’s college in Southsea, plays Nancy Blackett in the new film – a part she won after casting agents visited the school.
Seren told PA: “Doing GCSE drama really helped me get the role – it’s the only acting I’d done, although it’s stage acting which is different from screen. I’m not that good at the writing part of drama though, which is probably why I got a C in GCSE.”
She added: “I’d never specifically wanted to be an actress before. It was one of those things you think about when you are a kid, that you could possibly be an actress.”
Seren will go on to Peter Symonds college in Winchester to study A-levels, including performing arts.
