Press Release
Date: Wednesday 18 December 2002 (NR/39/02)
CCEA HONOURS NORTHERN IRELAND’S TOP STUDENTS
Students who achieved the very highest levels of performance in this summer’s A level examinations got an early Christmas present today as Northern Ireland’s awarding body, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), held its annual GCE A level Top Candidate Award ceremonies.
Speaking at the event, CCEA Chief Executive Gavin Boyd said:
The young people here today are the top performing students in the highest performing region of the United Kingdom. Their achievement is truly remarkable. Through our annual award ceremonies CCEA is proud to celebrate and highlight their achievement. Well done to the students, their teachers and to their parents.
These young people are also unique in another way. In 2001 they were the first to complete the new AS levels and this year the A2s. The Curriculum 2000 reforms may have had their detractors, but there is no doubting the positive effect they have had on performance. This year the percentage of CCEA A level entries gaining the top grades rose to 33.3%, up five percentage points. The comparable national figure is 21%.
There are two ceremonies this year both taking place on Thursday 19 December at the Conference and Exhibition Centre, the CCEA Building, 29 Clarendon Road, Belfast. The morning ceremony will run from 10 am until 11.30 am. The afternoon ceremony will run from 1.30 pm until 3.00 pm
TOP CANDIDATE 2002 MORNING PROGRAMME
| Refreshments | 10.00 am | |
| Opening Remarks | 10.30 am | Dr Alan Lennon, Chairman, CCEA |
| Award Ceremony | 10.40 am | Mr Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive, CCEA |
| Spiresart Award | 11.20 am | Mr Colm Mac Rory, Managing Director, Spiresart |
| Closing Remarks | 11.25 am | Mr Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive CCEA |
| Tea/Coffee/Mince Pies | 11.30 am | Top Candidate photographs will be taken during this time |
TOP CANDIDATES 2002 - Morning event
| Art and Design | Adam Browne Michael Cunningham Geraldine Kane Katie Larmour Christopher McCreedy Victoria Watson |
Bangor Grammar School St Patrick's Grammar School, Downpatrick St Louis Grammar School, Kilkeel Victoria College, Belfast Glengormley High School Victoria College, Belfast |
| Art and Design Historical and Critical Studies | Catherine Goodall | Dominican College, Belfast |
| Business Studies | Mairead Moore | Thornhill College, Londonderry |
| Computing | Aidan Magee | St Macnissi's College, Carnlough |
| Design & Technology | Richard Finlay Ryan Stewart | Down
High School, Downpatrick Ballyclare High School |
| Economics | Brenda Treacy | Mount Lourdes Grammar School, Enniskillen |
| English Literature | Courtney Lewis Alison McFarland | Royal
Belfast Academical Institution Strathearn School, Belfast |
| French | Peter Beagon | BIFHE College Square East, Belfast |
| Geography | Megan Heaney Rebekah Kirk | Thornhill College, L'Derry Sullivan Upper School, Holywood |
| German | Laura Mills | Larne Grammar School |
| Government & Politics | Ben Harris | Down High School, Downpatrick |
| Home Economics | Claire Semple | Omagh Academy |
| Irish | Gary
Dummigan Sorcha Nic Lochlainn | St Michael's Grammar School,
Lurgan St Macnissi's College, Carnlough |
| Music | Courtney
Lewis Jonathan McBride | Royal Belfast Academical Institution Dalriada School, Ballymoney |
| Religious Studies | Sarah Downing | Lismore Comprehensive School, Craigavon |
| Spanish | Kevin Donnelly Claire O'Kane | BIFHE
College Square East, Belfast Loreto Grammar School, Omagh |
TOP CANDIDATE 2002 AFTERNOON PROGRAMME
| Refreshments | 1.30 pm | |
| Opening Remarks | 2.00 pm | Dr Alan Lennon, Chairman, CCEA |
| Award Ceremony | 2.10 pm | Dr Alan Lennon, Chairman, CCEA |
| History Award | 2.50 pm | Presentation of Tim McCall History Award |
| Closing Remarks | 2.55 pm | Mr Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive CCEA |
| Tea/Coffee/Mince Pies | 3.00 pm | Top Candidate photographs will be taken during this time |
TOP CANDIDATES 2002 - Afternoon event
| Biology | Stephen Harkin Matthew McFadden |
Foyle & Londonderry College Portadown College |
| Chemistry | Abigail Aiken Peter Alderdice Marie Devine Lynne Donaldson Carolyn Milligan Aaron Nagar |
Foyle & Londonderry College Campbell College, Belfast Loreto Grammar School, Omagh Kilkeel High School Glenlola Collegiate School, Bangor BIFHE College Square East, Belfast |
| Further Mathematics | William Curry | Wallace High School, Lisburn |
| History | Deborah Toner | St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena |
| Mathematics | Peter Alderdice Jill Annett Derek Bell Roger Bell Therese Boyle Mark Campbell Terence Close William Curry Lynne Donaldson Brian Halliday Abbie Long Catherine McCarroll Jane McClements Rachel McCormick Martin McGovern Emer Murphy Malachy O'Kane James Porter Kevin Quinn Gail Shields Peter Stewart Deborah Toner Kenny Wong Donna York |
Campbell College, Belfast Wallace High School, Lisburn Ballymena Academy Royal Belfast Academical Institution Mount Lourdes Grammar School, Enniskillen Wellington College Belfast St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena Wallace High School, Lisburn Kilkeel High School Royal Belfast Academical Institution Strathearn School, Belfast Ballymena Academy Bloomfield Collegiate School, Belfast Victoria College, Belfast St Michael's College, Enniskillen Sacred Heart Grammar School, Newry St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena Royal Belfast Academical Institution St Colman's High School, Strabane Wallace High School, Lisburn Ballymena Academy St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena Campbell College, Belfast Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt |
| Physics | Kathryn Agnew John Alexander Alison Grimshaw David Laverty Carolyn Milligan Emer Murphy Patrick O'Boyle Ross Williams |
Ballyclare High School Ballymena Academy Hunterhouse College, Belfast St Malachy's College, Belfast Glenlola Collegiate School, Bangor Sacred Heart Grammar School, Newry St Malachy's College, Belfast Bangor Grammar School |
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
