St Mary’s Year 10 international students excel at English examination

St Mary’s international students are celebrating their academic achievements after gaining outstanding results in their B2 First examinations. This widely recognised exam is designed to test a student’s language skills and help them to live, work or study independently in an English-speaking country.

The results show that St Mary’s Year 10 students did exceptionally well, with every student achieving a B2-level pass at Grade C or above. Remarkably, almost a quarter (23%) of St Mary’s students gained an A grade, which certifies them at Advanced level. In comparison, Cambridge Examinations' international grade statistics for 2019 (the most recent data available) shows that only 8.6% of students achieved A grade internationally. In addition, an impressive 38.5% of St Mary’s students achieved Grade B, compared to 17.9% of students worldwide.

B2 First is an upper-intermediate qualification at Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and is recognised worldwide. Back in June, fourteen Year 10 students from St Mary’s sat the examination, which was held at Anglia Ruskin University and administered on behalf of Cambridge Examinations by International House.  The examination is made up of four papers, including: Reading / Use of English; Writing; Listening; and Speaking. St Mary’s students undertook a fifteen-minute oral examination, which was taken face-to-face with two candidates and two examiners, and a three hour and fifteen minute written examination.

Dr Helen East, Joint Head of English as an Additional Language at St Mary’s School, said:

“This is an incredible accomplishment by our students. The outstanding results achieved reflect their dedication and conscientiousness. Their English language skills will stand them in good stead for the future - benefiting their education and their professional lives. Congratulations to our Year 10 cohort.”

The B2 First examination is graded using the Cambridge English Scale – a numerical scale that is now used for all Cambridge examinations, including IELTS. Students receive a separate score for each of the four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and for their use of English. These five scores are then averaged to give an overall result for the exam. Students are also given a grade and Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level.

Find out more about the B2 First examination.