A Benenden School student is celebrating achieving 12 GCSEs at the top grade despite spending a year learning remotely.
Caitlin Chiu, 16, was stuck in her native Hong Kong between March 2020 and March 2021 because of the pandemic but has still managed to achieve a clean sweep of Level 9 grades – equivalent to an A* under the old grading system.
Caitlin, who is spending her summer holiday working as an intern, said: “I was really surprised and happy because I was opening my results at work which was quite weird! I kept refreshing the page because only one result was showing to begin with and then they all started coming through.
“I’m really thankful for the School for helping me achieve these grades because without the amazing teachers and support I’ve had it wouldn’t have been possible.”
Benenden’s comprehensive remote learning continued for students during the pandemic. Every lesson went ahead, with all students joining remotely during nationwide lockdowns, and even when students returned to School many subjects continued to be taught in a hybrid manner, with some students present in the lesson and others joining remotely from overseas.
Caitlin spent three entire terms learning remotely during the pandemic. She said: “It was much more normal when everyone was online during the national UK lockdown but when it was September and it was basically only me online in the lesson it was weird because I’d see everyone in class answering questions – but the teachers were great at making sure I was involved and asking me questions. It was really nice to be back at Benenden for the Summer Term!”
Caitlin is looking forward to returning to Benenden for Sixth Form when she will be studying A Levels in Chemistry, Maths, Music and Philosophy and Religion in pursuit of a law career.