Dear Parents,

Two students from the Taipei European School (TES) have received prestigious awards from University of Cambridge International Examinations to acknowledge their outstanding performance in the June 2011 Cambridge examination series.

The Cambridge Top in the World awards recognise the success of learners who have achieved the highest standard mark in the world for a single subject. Cambridge places learners at the centre of their international education programmes and qualifications which are inspired by the best in educational thinking.

The following students at the Taipei European School received a Cambridge Top in the World award:

Karishma Mahtani:    Foreign Language Chinese

Willie Wei-Li Hung:   Mathematics

Dr. Allan Weston, CEO of the TES, said “I am constantly impressed and humbled by the amazing abilities of our TES students. It is a great honour obviously for Karishma and Willie and their families, as this is a very prestigious award. It is also a great honour for TES as it shows that our recipe of combining academic rigor with a personalised approach to learning can have wonderful outcomes. I wish to congratulate both students on their remarkable achievements and we all at TES look forward to following their progress in future years. Well done!” 

Mr. Stuart Glascott, Head of the TES British Secondary and High School Section, said “TES is incredibly proud of the achievements of Karishma and Willie. They have both worked extremely diligently to complement their undoubted natural ability. To achieve the highest standard mark in the world in a subject in the academically demanding International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is simply amazing. On behalf of the entire TES community I congratulate them both on their outstanding achievements.”

Karishma and Willie received their Cambridge Top in the World award at a recent TES school ceremony on 2nd November. Karishma said “I was so surprised when it became known to me that I had achieved the top mark in the world for the only IGCSE examination I took in May/June 2011. Even though I did study for that exam, it took a long time to sink in as I never thought Chinese was one of the subjects I excelled in. I have been in Taipei European School my entire life and it really is such an honour to receive this accolade in front of all my teachers and peers. This achievement is something I will always be proud of and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed in helping me attain this award.”

Willie said “Achieving 100% in IGCSE mathematics is a milestone to me. I believe it reflects on my unwavering passion for the subject. Even though many people may find mathematics dull and difficult, I think that with persistent effort and wholehearted dedication, mathematics can prove to be enjoyable. The beauty of mathematics is ineffable; its logic is profound. For me, learning mathematics is like climbing a mountain. The process of climbing may be tedious, but when one reaches the peak of the mountain, there is a sense of achievement. Nevertheless, one should not be complacent as there are always higher and more majestic mountains waiting to be conquered.”

Janet Morris, Director of Communications and Customer Relationships for the University of Cambridge International Examinations said: ‘It is extremely rewarding to congratulate Cambridge learners and teachers at the Taipei European School who have worked so hard to achieve tremendous success in Cambridge examinations. The results are a reflection of the enormous talent in Taiwan, not only amongst learners but also within the teaching profession. Learners from TES have a bright future ahead of them, and I wish them every success in their future.’

In the May 2011 International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations TES High School students were very successful, with 27% of them gaining scores greater than 38 points. An IB score of 38 points or better is needed to be able to access courses at both Ivy League universities and Oxbridge. In this same examination session Nadia Dippenaar achieved 44 points, which is a score in the top 0.40% of all students taking the IB Diploma around the world.

TES graduates are also doing extremely well after graduation and many are currently studying in some of the most prestigious universities in the world. Since 2004, students graduating from the TES have gained places at many of the top universities around the world, including the University of Cambridge, University College London, Brown University, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University, University of British Columbia, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of Warwick in the UK. Some TES students have also gone to top local Taiwanese universities, including the world-renowned National Taiwan University.

About University of Cambridge International Examinations

University of Cambridge International Examinations is the world’s largest provider of international education programmes and qualifications for 5−19 year olds. The qualifications are taken in over 160 countries and recognised by universities, education providers and employers across the world.

It is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group, a not-for-profit organisation and a department of the University of Cambridge. It shares in its mission of providing excellence in education.

The programmes and qualifications develop successful learners and support the economic performance of countries where they work at national level.

Learn more! Visit www.cie.org.uk

Best regards

Taipei European School