Two students from Sri Lanka top the world in Cambridge exams

• 39 students get top marks in Sri Lanka in Cambridge exams
• Psychology, Accounting and Business Studies most popular subjects among students

Cambridge International Examinations recently announced the winners of the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards, Sri Lanka. The awards celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of secondary school learners in Sri Lanka in the November 2014 and June 2015 Cambridge examination series.

Guy Chapman, Deputy Director of International Network, Cambridge International Examinations and Keith Davies, Country Director, British Council Sri Lanka along with representatives of Cambridge International Examinations congratulated the students on 28 November 2015 at a ceremony held at The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo.

Panchalika Kulatunga, Schools Development Manager, Sri Lanka, said that Cambridge programmes help to develop and assess students’ creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills – preparing them to succeed at university: “This is an event to celebrate the huge achievements of hard-working, talented young people, the contribution of their teachers and support of their parents. As these students step into the next stage of their lives, they can be confident that the qualifications they have gained are accepted by leading universities worldwide. As individuals they are equipped for success in the modern world.”

114 learners from 22 schools celebrated their exceptional performance in Cambridge examinations. This year, two Cambridge learners achieved the highest marks in the world in a single Cambridge O Level subject; Gayathrini Tarisha Premawardhana from Royal Institute in Biology and D. Sardha Prarthana Perera from Yoshida Shokanji International School in French. In total, 39 learners attained the highest marks in Sri Lanka in a single subject. These students excelled in a diverse range of subjects including Psychology, Accounting and Business Studies.

Gayathrini Tarisha Premawardhana who topped the world in Cambridge O Level Biology said: “I completed my Cambridge O Levels in June and I am excited to be awarded Top In World for Biology, Top in Country for Physics, Chemistry and English Language, and Best Across 7A*s.

“Being a student of Royal Institute for 13 years, this success is testament to the excellent academic guidance and dedication of my beloved teachers in addition to the great inspiration obtained from my family and friends.  Throughout my period of study, my main objective was to obtain a sound knowledge of all the subjects. As the exams approached, I aimed to complete many past papers in order to get accustomed to the structure of assessments and to improve my time management. It was indeed a great experience, which I am determined to reap in the future as well.”

D. Sardha Prarthana Perera, the world topper in Cambridge O Level French, said: “I am very fond of learning languages and am very pleased to be named the world topper in French. But the important thing is I loved the language.  My advice to those who study languages is, love the language you learn because, it doesn’t come from your head, it comes from your heart. Before the exam I prepared myself by watching French movies without subtitles, attempting past papers and interacting in French whenever possible with my French teacher. I also wrote lot of essays and read novels like Madame Bovary. I would like to thank everyone who supported me including my French teacher, my class teacher, the Principal at Yoshida Shokanji International School and my parents for their constant encouragement and guidance.”

The awards also celebrate the achievements of those learners who have been recognised for ‘High Achievement’ based on outstanding performance in subjects which are not yet so widely taken in Sri Lanka, and learners who have achieved the total highest cumulative marks across a number of subjects. The winning learners out-performed thousands of candidates worldwide who sat for Cambridge O Level, Cambridge IGCSE®, Cambridge International AS & A Level examinations.