Thousands of pupils across the UAE received their A-level and IGCSE results on Thursday and many rejoiced at securing places at their first-choice universities.
After two years of teacher-assessed grades, given as exams could not be held during the Covid-19 pandemic, pupils were able to sit them in person in May.
Pupils received lower A-level grades this year compared with the past two years, official figures showed on Thursday.
For Muneeb Alvi, 18, a pupil at Pristine Private School in Dubai, it was a day of celebrations as he achieved the three A* grades in physics, chemistry and mathematics he required to attend New York University Abu Dhabi on a full scholarship.
The Pakistani will be studying computer science with a minor in mathematics.
“A lot of my friends got unsatisfactory results,” he said. “But I had my predicted grades, and they were three A* as well.
“I had already applied to university in October as they had an early admission process and had a conditional acceptance offer and I needed to maintain these grades.
“I was pretty happy with my grades. When I gave the exams, I knew kind of that I did the best I could.
“With some of my friends, I know that they put in a lot of effort and they were pretty confident once they came out of the exam hall that they would get a good grade and the complete opposite has happened.”
Delighted teen is Bristol bound
Isabelle Darling, an Australian 18-year-old, was ecstatic after getting an A* in English literature, an A* in psychology and an A in biology. The pupil will be studying law at Bristol University in the UK in the autumn.
“I'm ecstatic, to be honest. I went through about I think 15 different emotions. I was very, very nervous beforehand and did not know what to expect,” said the pupil at British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“I thought I'd done well and was happy with how my exams had gone … but obviously hearing everything around it I started to doubt things and was thinking about clearing choices when results.
“I actually cried. I was so overwhelmed at getting into Bristol University which was my top choice. It's just kind of crazy for me to think that this is actually happening. I'm so excited.”
The pupil said that after getting her results she felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders.
Top marks lead to London
Ahmed Mohamed, 18, a Sudanese pupil at British School Al Khubairat, will be pursuing a degree in medicine at Imperial College London. The pupil achieved an A* and three As.
He needed an A* and three As to get into university and was just able to get his spot at the university, though his predicted scores were two A* grades and two As.
“I still got in to my university of first choice, I can't really complain. I am still happy,” he said.
“I've spoken to all my friends, from what I've been hearing. I don't know if this is just because we're the year right after last year when they didn't have exams or anything but I've been hearing they [the exam boards] have been a bit harsh this year.”
The pupil hopes to specialise in paediatrics.
Hard work pays off for Ukrainian pupil
Kateryna Golovko, 18, a Ukrainian pupil at Gems Metropole School, achieved two A* grades and two As and will be studying medicine at First Faculty of Medicine Charles University in Prague. The pupil was predicted to get four A* grades but was happy with her scores.
“I feel so amazing and grateful because all the nights when I studied and the stressful times that I had to live through paid off in the end,” said the teenager.
“I think the results were consistent and it's even better than what I hoped for, especially in chemistry.”
Julia Medeiros, a pupil from Brazil at Gems Metropole School, said she was extremely excited as she had managed to get an A in biology.
“I worked really hard for it and I am very, very, very happy,” said the 17-year-old.
“I am satisfied with most of my grades. I didn't get into a university yet. I'm planning to go to Brazil to study agricultural engineering and have to do a national exam to get into the university.”
Tears of joy as Oxford awaits
Ashna Chaturvedi, an 18-year-old Indian at Brighton College Abu Dhabi, will be heading to Oxford University to study law after earning four A* in biology, chemistry, mathematics and economics.
“I was extremely shocked. When I saw the grades, I just screamed, and then I started crying I was predicted three A *and one A, so I actually exceeded my predicted grades,” said the pupil, who aims to become a solicitor.
“These were our first public exams ever. Based on how the exams went, I really didn't think that I would get these grades, I thought I would get two A and two B.
“Every single day that I woke up the past week, the first thing I would do was check the news and see the media coverage and every single morning it would be a headline saying something like be prepared to be disappointed or lowest grades ever… it was, it was definitely very scary for myself and for many of my peers.”
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
GRAN%20TURISMO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neill%20Blomkamp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Harbour%2C%20Orlando%20Bloom%2C%20Archie%20Madekwe%2C%20Darren%20Barnet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Squads
Australia: Finch (c), Agar, Behrendorff, Carey, Coulter-Nile, Lynn, McDermott, Maxwell, Short, Stanlake, Stoinis, Tye, Zampa
India: Kohli (c), Khaleel, Bumrah, Chahal, Dhawan, Shreyas, Karthik, Kuldeep, Bhuvneshwar, Pandey, Krunal, Pant, Rahul, Sundar, Umesh
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
Company%20profile
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
