Durbanville Reddam House’s Class of 2022 scored 83 subject distinctions in 16 subjects for their A and AS-level results in the Cambridge International exams.
The class had a 99% pass rate after 34 pupils completed their International Cambridge AS (advanced subsidiary) levels while one pupil, Daniel Bovim, completed his A-levels.
The Cambridge International A-levels and AS-levels, are part of the school’s dual curriculum. The other curriculum is South Africa’s Independent Examinations Board.
In 2021, just before his AS-level exams, a mountain-biking accident left Daniel with memory loss, concussion and a broken collar bone, and doctors recommended he hold off on writing the exams at the end of that year.
“I got a concussion and I was unconscious for some time. I don’t have any memories from that day,” he said.
Daniel then elected to complete both years in one, writing five exams each for physics and chemistry and four exams for maths in November 2022.
He said he felt calm and well-prepared before beginning the A-level syllabus.
“I was planning to do my A levels anyway, and so just writing the AS exams the same year would save me a lot of time. I couldn’t write the AS levels in May/June because I had only just finished the A-level syllabus and didn’t have enough time to be confident in my revision.“
For his recent A-level exams, Daniel scored 92% for physics, 91% for chemistry and 83% for maths.
The school’s top-10 AS-level achievers for 2022 are Luka Joubert (90.6%), Sarah Webber (90.5)%, Nathan Dinbabo (87%), Le Roux Lategan (87%), Christopher van Zyl (86.4%), David Madighi-Oghu (83.3%), Rebekah Lumsden (81%), Nirvana Reddy (80.6%), Zoryn Rothuysen (79.8%) and Erin Pavitt (79.2%).
“Their results are testament to the stories we have witnessed over the last year of the hard work and effort that led to excellent improvement in individual student subject results,“ said Barry Nieuwoudt, the school’s executive head.
Nine pupils scored above 90% in a subject, with Luka achieving 90% for four out of five subjects: chemistry, computer science, maths and physics.
“Receiving my results satisfied my curiosity more than anything else. Although I didn’t see it as a critical determining factor, I am happy with the marks I received,” said Luka, who has been provisionally accepted to study actuarial science at Stellenbosch University this year.
The second-highest AS-level achiever, Sarah Webber, scored a 90.5% aggregate and received a notation from Cambridge International on her AS-level French result.
“As someone with ADHD, I don’t have a rigid study routine. However, when revising, I wrote out a list of specific tasks for each subject so I knew what work I had to get through. I would cover two to three subjects each day, alternating between them,” said Sarah. “Additionally, I practised positive affirmations and tried to do regular exercise and get enough sleep, as these improved my mental well-being and allowed me to work more effectively.“