A Benenden girl who moved to the other side of the world five months before her GCSEs has today thanked her “amazing” former teachers after she achieved results she never thought possible.
“From the bottom of my heart, a big, massive, huge thank you to everyone at Benenden,” said Georgie Beggs, 16, who moved to Australia in December when the family circumstances changed.
Australia runs a different qualifications system to the UK, with public exams sat at the end of Year 13 and no equivalent to the GCSEs. But Georgie was determined not to let her three years of hard work at Benenden go to waste so continued with her GCSE studies – on top of her studies, including end of year exams, at her new school.
As soon as Georgie finished her daily lessons at Firbank Grammar School, she would join one-to-one lessons with her former teachers at Benenden and work late into the night.
After several months of maintaining this exhaustive schedule, Georgie’s incredible efforts have paid off, with passes in all six subjects she sat, including three Level 9s – the highest grade possible – in English Language, English Literature and History.
Speaking from her new home in Brighton, Victoria, a delighted Georgie said: “The teachers have been amazing; they took time out of their evenings, weekends and holidays to help me.
“I certainly would not have been able to do it without the teachers and everyone who has supported me like my Housemistress and Head of Year.
“It just would not have been possible otherwise, but as soon as I asked if it might be possible for me to continue with my GCSEs Benenden did everything they could to make it happen.”
Despite Georgie having officially left Benenden, her former teachers ran one-to-one sessions for her and offered advice over email. They would send her remote links to recordings of in-person revision workshops and exam tips sessions if the time difference prevented her from joining them live.
“I found it really helpful,” Georgie said. “I could ask any questions and work at my own pace; I really valued that one-to-one aspect. The teachers must have been getting dozens of emails from me in the middle of the night but they were all so helpful in coming back to me – I’m so grateful.
“I felt isolated in a good way but also not isolated.”
Georgie and her mother flew back to the UK for a month in May so she could sit her exams in person at Beacon Academy, Crowborough, which allows external candidates to sit exams.
In a typical example of one of the perks of Australian life, Georgie opened her results today on the beach. She said: “Walking to the sea has been my way of de-stressing over these past few months so going there to open my results was a nice way to round it off. I watched the sunset and thought ‘I’ve just got to open them here and now’.
“I opened the email and immediately started crying – people were walking past and wondering why I was sobbing on the beach! I was so happy I’d done it. Learning in different countries and flying back and forth and learning at two different schools, to finish my exams and know my years in the UK were worth it, it was just such an overwhelming feeling.”
Georgie is still in touch with her Benenden friends and they have been chatting regularly – especially today on results day.
She said: “Before the results came out I spoke with several different people who all said ‘good luck’ and then when we opened our results the influx of messages came through.
“My friends at Benenden have been a big part of this and I was so glad I’m still in touch with them; of course, my friends here in Australia don’t understand GCSEs so to have people in the UK who know what’s involved and how much work there is has been so helpful.”
Georgie even caught up with four Benenden girls in person today who were on an exchange trip at her school. She chatted to them as they were getting their shirts signed by their new Australian friends as part of a farewell gesture, and then joined them to enjoy frozen yoghurt together after school.
Georgie has a passion for English and hopes to pursue this as a career, so was particularly delighted with her English results. “I’m feeling really good,” she said. “English was a big one for me because that’s the career field I want to pursue so to get 9s in those meant everything to me.”
Georgie began this academic year by performing a poem she wrote especially for Benenden’s Centenary in front of 1,000 people at the School’s Centenary launch event in September.
Two months later, she left Benenden and began juggling her studies on opposite sides of the world. Asked why she was so determined to continue with her GCSEs despite living in a country that operates a different examinations system, she said: “It was a big decision and we discussed it a lot as a family.
“Benenden does a great job of preparing you for GCSEs right from the beginning so I’ve spent three years of my life preparing for these exams and I had revised for the mocks at Christmas and I’d put in all this effort.
“I felt like if you’ve trained for the Olympics you might as well give it a go and see how you get on!”
Benenden is holding a Sixth Form open evening on 12 September and several open days throughout the Autumn Term. More information and booking available at www.benenden.school/opendays
