News

Now Reading

IB Results 2023: Dubai teen girls’ exam triumph over adversity are an inspiration at GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis

by Tabitha BardaJuly 6, 2023

IB exams have a reputation for being tough at the best of times. But for two students sitting the IBDP at GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis this year, the stakes were truly stacked against them. Grappling with several obstacles in their path, these brave young women point blank refused to let them get in their way. With a blend of grit, determination and talent, these two students not only defeated the challenges facing them, but came out with some of the highest IB marks in the whole school. It’s all part of the IB’s power in producing resilient, risk-taking young people – as Sarah O’Regan, Principal/CEO, GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis explains:

“Registered deaf, Karen Youakim found Covid learning incredibly difficult, as compulsory mask wearing took away her greatest understanding tool – lip reading – for the best part of two academic years.

“She clearly hasn’t let that hold her back, as she’s come out as our joint highest scoring student with a remarkable 42 points, including three 7s and an A in her extended essay!”

“Karen was crowned our IB Student of the Year at our recent graduation.”

Fellow star student, Chiara Cecchetti, also has an inspiring story:

“Chiara Cecchetti was forced to leave WSO at the end of Year 11 due to family circumstance changes brought on by Covid in 2020.

“As the world started returning to normal, her family found a route back to Dubai for the summer of 2022 and there was only one place she wanted to return to complete her IB Diploma – WSO!

“Transitioning from one school to another is challenging, add in another country and the challenge doubles. Factor in doing this twice in 18 months and it makes her 40 points all the more outstanding.”

But it’s not only the students with exceptional grades or backstories that GWA Silicon Oasis wants to celebrate – all of their children are extraordinary and exceptional in equal measure. Sarah O’Regan, Principal/CEO, GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis says:

“We are so delighted and proud of our students’ results. We celebrated with this cohort earlier in the week with their official graduation and that event – coupled with this set of results which, once again, is significantly higher than the global average – was a wonderful way to end the academic year. Well done to the IBDP cohort of WSO’s Class of 2023!”

GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis results

Indicator (IBDP – 2023)	2022-23	2021-22
No. of candidates registered in the session	59	50
No. candidates who passed	53	49
Overall pass rate	90%	98%
Average score among candidates who passed	32.7	34.5
Highest Diploma points awarded to a candidate	42	42
Percentage of students who scored 40+	11%	24%
Percentage of students who scored 35+	34%	51%
Percentage of students who scored 30+	75%	82%
No. subject entries	472	392

Top scoring students

Name	IBDP score	Destination and course	Quote
Naja Baumann	42	Xund Higher Health College, Nursing	“The IB Diploma has opened many doors for me and prepared me for upcoming university life. I’m delighted to receive my results today and am so thankful to the school for all they’ve done.”
Karen Youakim	42	UCL, Law	“I got my results today. I am so thankful to my teachers and my parents. I could not be prouder!”
Devansh Singhi	40	TBC	“My journey through the IB has added immense value to my growth, personally as well as academically. The support I have received from my teachers and peers has been tremendously helpful.”
Chiara Cecchetti	40	ESCP Paris, Business Management	“I feel grateful to have had the support of teachers and classmates. The IB Diploma is a challenging but enriching journey.”
Ishan Koirala	40	Australia National University, Canberra	“I am ecstatic that I had such a strong support group of Post-16 teachers and coordinators. I could not have achieved this without them.”
Mia Graf	40	Lund University, Sweden