That fateful phrase, “turn your papers over class, your time starts now,” was almost like a distant memory for pupils who sat their exams weeks ago.
And with a new grading system in place, exam boards are bracing themselves for a surge in re-marking requests following a set of results predicted to be the most volatile in years.
Grade 9 is an A* and an 8 falls between an A and A* and a grade 1 is the equivalent of a G. There will be fewer grade 9 marks than A* awards under the previous system.
They may be the guinea pigs for the new marking system but many pupils this year had done well above their expectations.
Students at Dubai College were celebrating another set of fine GCSE results, taking the new grading system in their stride.
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School pupils across the country receive their GCSE exam results
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A grade 7 is the equivalent to the old A grade and 5s and 6s both straddle a B grade.
Of Dubai College pupils, 84 per cent achieved A* or A grades and 9 to 7 grades in this year’s examinations, an increase of 2 per cent on last year’s results, and a 5 per cent increase on 2015.
“We are delighted with this year’s GCSE results, which are testament to the dedication of the staff, the hard work of the students and the support of parents,” said headmaster Michael Lambert.
Brighton College Abu Dhabi proved to be the top-ranking British school in the capital.
Pupils at the school improved on last year’s record results, with 40 per cent of grades at A*, up from 37 per cent last year, and 63 per cent were either A* or A.
Eighty-eight per cent of pupils achieved grades between A* and B and no fewer than 10 pupils had A* or better.
Last week, pupils scored 43 per cent at grades A* to A at A-Level, 70.49 per cent of grades were between A* and B and 25 per cent of the year group achieved 3 A grades or above.
Headmaster Simon Corns said the results were an improvement on last year.
“We are very proud of the students, not least because they have also continued to contribute to the co-curricular life of the school,” he said.
“They have been outstanding role models for younger pupils and sterling ambassadors for the college and the UAE.”
This year, GEMS schools had a record number of teenagers - over 1,750 - who sat IGSCE/GCSE examinations, and 40 per cent of exams sat across all GEMS schools resulted in A* to A or equivalent grades.
Peter Davos, managing director at Hale Education Group consultants, said pupils who had not achieved the grades they had hoped for should not panic.
“There are alternative pathways to university admission and a successful career – instead of A levels, you may consider pursuing vocational qualifications,” he said.
“If you have just missed out on a grade and feel that your examination has been wrongly graded, discuss the possibility of a re-mark with your school teacher. You will have to pay a fee, which will only be reimbursed if your grade changes.”
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
THREE
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
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Company%20Profile
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RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%C2%A0specs%20
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
