A Dubai-based student at Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) has achieved a perfect 45 point score in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for the 2016-2017 academic year.

The student, Sara Dube, also achieved an A grade in both Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge. This feat was made more difficult by her choosing four higher level subjects, instead of the usual three, and completing her Extended Essay in a foreign language - French. She will now be headed to the University of Oxford to study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. After that, she plans to study law.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dube said that felt "really, really, happy" with her score. "I was shocked to see what I got," she said. "I couldn't have done it without the support of everyone at JESS and my parents."

When asked what her secret to success was, Sara noted that she credits her achievement to her ability to manage her studying time wisely.

"The main thing is to manage your time well over the two years of IB," she said. "I definitely think I spaced out my revisions and my studying over the two years. That really helped me not to stress too much."

She added that there was never any doubt in her mind that she'd complete her extended essay in French. "I love French. When I used to live in Poland two years ago, my French teacher there really inspired me. When I came to Dubai, I knew I'd write it in French," she noted.

While fewer than 200 students globally achieve 45 points, JESS students have achieved this score in four of the last five years.

Another student, Kareem Kubeisy, achieved 44 points, including Level 7 in all his six subjects, narrowly missing the third of the 3 "core points" by only one mark. He will now join two other JESS students at Columbia University in New York.

The school's overall average of 35.3 continues to remain above the world average of 30 points, a figure which a staggering 92 per cent of JESS students met or exceeded. These statistics are complemented this year with 55.7 per cent of students achieving 35 points or more; the equivalent of two A* and two As at A-level. The 18.2 per cent of students that scored 40 points or more, equivalent to more than four A* at A-level, have reached a level that would turn the head of any university in the world. Students from JESS will now be headed to some of the best universities in the United States, UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and in the UAE.

"These results reflect the motivation and dedication of the students and teachers over the last two years, enabling students to attend some of the most prestigious universities across the globe. It is a wonderful privilege to work within the JESS community," said Ian Thurston, deputy head of Key Stage 5 at Jess.

"Once again the hard work, commitment and genuine endeavour of our students, our teachers, and the IB team have worked to produce another batch of stellar results," added JESS IB coordinator Kosta Lekanides. "I could not be happier for our 2017 cohort."

There are approximately 50 IB schools in the UAE, with IB results still pending for some of them on Thursday.

Source: Khaleej Times