
Exam Results and Leavers’ Destinations
Benenden students consistently achieve outstanding academic results, in addition to all their co-curricular and personal and professional achievements. Here we summarise the latest exam results:
A Level Results 2013-2023
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A*/A% | 57% | 64% | 83% | 73%^ | 56% | 63% | 60% | A*/A% | 74% | 66% | 62% | 72% |
*From 2017, A Levels changed nationally to the more rigorous linear model.
^Grades awarded in the absence of exams being sat due to pandemic.
GCSE Level Results 2013-2023
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Level 9-7 %* | 82% | 90% | 89% | 82%^ | 79% | A*/A %(or equivalent*) | 81% | 81% | 83% | 78% | 88% | 80% |
*Taking into account the national reforms from the A*-G grading system to the 9-1 system.
^Grades awarded in the absence of exams being sat due to pandemic.
Exam results
Why we don’t appear in league tables
You won’t see Benenden in the league tables, and we thought it would be helpful to explain why we have chosen not to submit our results for inclusion.
We have not taken this decision because we are not proud of girls’ results, or that we have anything to hide, or that we lack confidence in how well Benenden would perform – we are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements and of our latest results.
There are three main reasons we have taken this decision.
Firstly, the top HMC schools are increasingly not submitting their results for league tables, which means that a number of Benenden’s peers do not appear in them. Therefore, league tables are increasingly becoming unreliable ways of judging schools against one another.
Secondly, different league tables apply different criteria for assessing schools – some will exclude certain qualifications or choose different measures by which to rank schools – which again can be very confusing for parents who are trying to make an informed choice about a school.
However, there is far more to a Benenden education than just exam grades. The data shows that we add a tremendous amount of value to a girl’s academic potential (on average each girl achieves around one grade higher at Benenden than she would otherwise have expected). League tables do not take this into account, which is why they are such a poor indicator of a school’s performance.
Further, league tables do not take into account the impressive higher education destinations of leavers; the wonderful array of leadership opportunities they experience here; the exceptional co-curricular experience they receive; how prepared Benenden girls are for the workplace and later life; the compassion, confidence and enthusiasm they have for life, for their careers, their friends and their families.
Independent schools, and especially a boarding environment such as ours, are about so much more than sheer academic results. We will help girls to achieve the very best they are capable of, but we strongly believe that schools should not be judged purely on exam results – nor indeed should young people. It is important not to confuse an education with a syllabus.

Samantha Price
Headmistress
Leavers’ Destinations
2023 Leavers’ Destinations
81% gained First Choice Institution
73% Russell group Institution
7% International destination
43% Top 10 UK University*
15% Top 10 World University**
*THES University tables 2022,
**QS World University rankings 2022
The higher education destinations of our 2023 leavers are listed below:
Institution | Subject |
---|---|
Cambridge, Trinity | HSPS |
Bristol | English |
Edinburgh | Economics |
Durham | Business and Managements |
Exeter | International Relations |
Bristol | Ancient History |
York | English and Art History |
Manchester | Ancient History and History |
York | History and Politics |
Bristol | Theatre and English |
St Andrews | Art History |
UCL | Management Science |
UCL | Politics and IR |
LSE | Law |
UAL | Fashion Styling and Production |
Exeter | English |
Oxford, St Hugh’s | Classics and English |
UCL | Architecture |
Leeds | History of Art |
Newcastle | Computer Science |
Loughborough | Geography |
Edinburgh | History of Art |
Cardiff | Religion and Theology |
Edinburgh | Medicine |
Bristol | History |
UCL | Biomedical Sciences |
Manchester | Modern Languages |
Bristol | Economics and Management |
Courtauld | History of Art |
Exeter | Business Economics |
York | Social and Public Policy |
Columbia/Barnard, USA | Liberal Arts |
Surrey | Sociology |
Columbia/Barnard, USA | Liberal Arts |
Columbia/Trinity, USA/Ireland | Liberal Arts |
Boston, USA | Liberal Arts |
UCLA, USA | Liberal Arts |
Glasgow | Medicine |
LSE | Economics |
Warwick | Accounting and Finance |
UCL | Pharmacology |
Oxford, Pembroke | Biology |
St Andrew’s | Environmental Earth Sciences |
Oxford, Oriel | Medicine |
Durham | Japanese Studies |
Oxford Brookes | Business and Management |
Exeter | Drama |
Durham | Business and Management |
Cambridge, Robinson | Veterinary Medicine |
Durham | Anthropology |
Bournemouth | Photography (with foundation year) |
Canada Toronto or UBC | Liberal Arts |
King’s | Liberal Arts |
Newcastle | Combined Honours |
UCL | Nutrition and Medical Sciences |
UCL | Philosophy |
Leeds | Theatre and Performance |
Bristol | Physics with Innovation |
Durham | Classical Civilisation |
Royal Holloway | History of Art |
Bristol | Biomedical Science |
Strathclyde | Computer Science |
Leeds | Zoology |
KPMG | Degree Apprenticeship |
Durham | Sociology |
UCL | Psychology |
Edinburgh | Psychology |
Notre Dame, USA | Liberal Arts |
Edinburgh | Philosophy and Theology |
Edinburgh | Philosophy and Theology |
Leeds | Theatre and Performance |
Durham | Climate Science |
Oxford, St Anne’s | English Language and Literature |
Manchester | History of Art |
Keele | Law with a Foundation |
Plymouth | English and Creative Writing |
Edinburgh | Ancient and Medieval History |
Bath | Computer Science |
Cambridge, Queens | History |
SOAS | Chinese and History of Art |
Durham | Politics and IR |
Leeds | Geography |
Glasgow | Art Foundation |
Bristol | International Business Management |
Edinburgh | Geography |
Royal Agricultural University | International Equine and Agricultural Business Management |
Edinburgh | Philosophy |
Manchester | International Business, Finance and Economics |