GCSE results at Lister School have improved for the fourth consecutive year, with one student in particular exceeding expectations.
Aashna Jethmalani picked up 11 A*s this morning including a top grade in Gurajati, which she teaches voluntarily to younger children at the weekends.
The 16-year-old also achieved a pair of As and hopes to become the first person from her family to go to either Oxford or Cambridge, although she is yet to pick a subject - undecided between media or law.
A keen swimmer, Aashna also holds a green belt in karate and will shortly begin studying biology, chemistry, physics, English and psychology at Woodford County High School sixth form.
She said: “Initially I was disappointed with my lower grades, but I suppose on reflection it’s quite phenomenal really.
“My family were really excited when I told them which was nice, because they’ve really helped me with my studies and carried me through.”
Fellow Lister student Alexandra Scriitoru, also 16, was similarly delighted with her results, after picking up an A* in English, plus five As and three Bs, despite spending the first decade of her life in Romania.
A big CSI fan, she hopes to go on to study psychology and law at university before becoming a criminal psychologist.
She said: “ I was so, so happy because I was never expecting to get higher than a C in anything.
“It could have been really stressful year, but the teachers all gave us loads of support.”
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