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St Mary’s students prove Geography is ‘where it’s at’ with major department successes

St Mary’s students prove Geography is ‘where it’s at’ with major department successes

St Mary’s Geography department is celebrating success after a student was named the highest performing pupil in the country in the Geography A GCSE examination by OCR. Year 11 student, Anna L, received the highest mark of any student nationwide this year. Meanwhile, overall, for GCSE Geography an impressive 85% of students studying the subject at St Mary’s received grades 9-7 (A*-A).

Geography is also going from strength to strength at St Mary’s Sixth Form with two groups of A Level Geography students recently selected to share their insights and knowledge on the subject. Pupils took part in Cambridge Geographical Association’s live online GEOG-MEET event and delivered informative presentations to students, teachers, parents and members of the public from across Cambridgeshire.

The GEOG-MEET is an informal meeting for students to share their learning and consists of high-quality student-led teaching on elements of the A Level Geography curriculum. To be selected, pupils were required to create a presentation title and short abstract on a subject of their choice. The two successful St Mary’s teams were then invited to create full presentations to deliver. Group one, consisting of Gabriella R. and Sophie S., chose to create a presentation on the impact of sea level changes entitled: ‘Afternoon Tea under the sea’. Group two, which included Olivia W, Martha F and Holly M, presented on the subject of ‘Are cancer rates a postcode lottery?’ The event can be watched online.

Kate Latham, Director of Teaching and Learning, said:

“We would like to extend our congratulations to Anna on her incredible accomplishment in her Geography GCSE. To be the highest performing GCSE student in the country is an amazing achievement. Congratulations for a job well done also go to our two teams of A Level students on their fantastic performances at the GEOG_MEET. Their passion and understanding of the subject was plain for all to see during their presentations!”

Find out more about Geography at St Mary's Senior School.