Top mark in GCSE, aged 12
A 12-YEAR-old Bristol student has secured an A* in GCSE maths after retaking an exam – despite already getting A.
Year 8 student Bogdan-Mihai Dumatrescu, of Orchard School Bristol, hit the headlines in December when he achieved an A grade just weeks after beginning work on the syllabus.
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Year 8 student Bogdan-Mihai Dumatrescu Picture: Barbara Evripidou BRBE20120120C-003
Now, with the help of volunteer tutor and former engineer Ross Mackenzie, and Bogdan's own remarkable enthusiasm for the subject, he has scored the highest possible mark in an exam usually sat by 16-year-olds.
And now Bogdan is moving on to the next stage by sitting an A-level module.
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Bogdan was originally finding Year 8 maths too easy so teachers gave him something more challenging.
His first task was a GCSE past paper and he scored a B grade without any revision.
Then the teachers entered him for the higher tier GCSE exam and, armed with only a revision CD and his own remarkable ability, he sat the exam two weeks later and achieved an A grade.
Bogdan said: "The teachers at Orchard have been really good, helping me get to where I am now."
Retired Airbus engineer Mr Mackenzie, from Bradley Stoke, said Bogdan was probably the brightest student he had ever seen.
Orchard head of maths Mrs Goode said: "Bogdan is an outstanding student with a gift for mathematics.
"We are privileged at Orchard School to be able to support him with his ambitions and we are extremely lucky that we have been able to find an excellent tutor who volunteers his time to teach Bogdan A level mathematics.
"It is a pleasure to see Bogdan working hard to shape a successful future for himself."
Head teacher Dr Helen Holman said: "For Bogdan to not only get an A but now an A* says so much about both himself and the tuition he has been receiving.
"His story is so inspirational because he motivates himself to be the best he can in this very difficult subject, yet for all his success he remains a grounded and modest young man."
Comments
by Batdad
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 2:44PM
“Pete303North is spot on - East European parents do give a damn, thereby treating their children with the utmost respect and not viewing education with suspicion or something that might in some way inhibit their children.
As for Bogdan, I love the kid's ambition, an A wasn't good enough, he wanted an A*. Is his school a state school? If so, Annie 'Honorarium' Hudson must be in despair - where did CYPS go wrong, to allow a bright, ambitious kid to grow up in Bristol with his aspirations left uncrushed?”
by Pete303North
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 2:08PM
“I'm not going to make any assumptions about his background but recent data suggests that eastern european pupils tend to fare better on account of their parents giving a damn.
I would be very interested to see what the grade distribution looks like if a class of twelve year olds took thier GCSE's now. I suspect it wouldn't be that much different to sixteen year olds. If the teaching was up to scratch it could potentially be better since kids are bored to death of it all by the age of sixteen.”
by John_Name
Tuesday, June 12 2012, 1:57PM
“Come on Pete. Have you had kids of GCSE age? I know everyone always complains about falling standards, but if you look at the maths papers, they're actually quite challenging. An A* at 12 is definitely something to be very proud of. Also, to judge by his Romanian surname, English may well not be his native language, in which case his achievement is all the more praiseworthy.”
by Pete303North
Monday, June 11 2012, 11:38PM
“I think that says more about gcse's tbh.”
by John_Name
Monday, June 11 2012, 2:21PM
“Yes, well done indeed!”
by highonhelium
Monday, June 11 2012, 12:11PM
“Well Done Bogdan-Mihai”