Learners across Eastleigh College have been discovering their GCSE results this year, with many success stories realised as results day has unfolded.

GCSE results day is one of the marquee events on the education calendar, the culmination of years of hard work, revision and learning. GCSE qualifications are the foundation for many careers, and a gateway to many further education and higher education opportunities. They also equip individuals with a range of essential life skills that stretch beyond the realms of education. Upon receiving their results today, a number of learners have shared their reactions with us.

Lydia Ncube has been out of education for many years, having originally studied in Zimbabwe, and has successfully passed both her English and maths GCSEs upon her first attempt! She commented: “I’ve realised how important education is to life choices and quality of life. I was so happy to have passed and especially with the grade boundaries more challenging this year! My dream is to have a career in nursing and thanks to these grades I can now study an Access to Nursing course. Thank you to all at Eastleigh College for making this dream possible!”

Some of our learners’ results today have been many years in the making. James Laithwaite successfully passed his maths GCSE after four attempts, and faced multiple comments over the years saying he wouldn’t pass in light of learning difficulties. Such comments have been a driving factor in his perseverance, and he said: “I’m very happy that I’ve passed my maths GCSE, which I have desired for such a long time and now it’s finally come true! I’m so glad that Eastleigh College gave me the opportunity to try again”.

Asmaa Kasem Ali is Syrian and has moved around frequently, having arrived in the UK last year after five years in Germany. Learning and retaining all these different languages has proved an additional challenge on top of managing her GCSEs. In spite of this, she has successfully obtained a Grade 4 in her maths GCSE, an achievement that opens up many doors for her next steps. Asmaa commented: “I enjoyed maths and am relieved to have passed. I don’t have much experience with English which made some of the questions difficult, but I studied hard and particularly enjoyed Geometry. I would like to teach in the future and plan to take an ESOL course next at Eastleigh College.”

For anyone who didn’t get the grades they were expecting, there are a variety of options available that can align with your career plans. For support and guidance, please contact our friendly team at Welcome@eastleigh.ac.uk.