Francesca’s 6 GCSEs...at 13 (From Echo)

Benfleet student's 6 GCSEs...at 13!

7:10am Tuesday 11th September 2012 in News

Top marks - Francesca Lam

BRIGHT spark Francesca Lam was the envy of her classmates on the first day back at school after she chalked up six top GCSE grades – aged just 13.

Two years before most teens sit the exams, she has passed in French, history, statistics, double ICT and Chinese – all at A or A*.

She is already swotting up for another eight GCSEs and will keep stacking them up until she leaves her comprehensive school in two years.

Francesca, who is now 14, is getting stuck into a new swathe of subjects at the Appleton School, in Croft Road, Benfleet , including English, PE, maths and food and nutrition.

By the time she leaves, she hopes to have 14 GCSEs under her belt.

She plans to study for A-levels and then it will be off to university – and she already has one in mind.

She said: “I wouldn’t mind going to Cambridge. It sounds like a good school and I have family there.

“To be honest, I don’t mind as long as I get to learn.

“I’d like to become a pharmacist, like my dad, one day. I would like to be a doctor, but I’m really not very good when it comes to blood and gore.”

Francesca’s favourite subject is history and her least favourite is English.

Sarah Cox, deputy headteacher at the Appleton School, said Francesca is the highest performing Year 9 student ever at the school.

She said: “She’s a very talented, friendly girl and deserves her success.

“A lot of our Year 9 students take GCSEs early, but we’ve never had such brilliant grades as this at Francesca’s age.

“Just because she’s got her six GCSEs already doesn’t mean she will rest on her laurels. She will work just as hard for the rest.”

In her spare time, Francesca is performing at grade six level on the piano.

She added: “I’m not always working! I like to be with my friends and listen to music. I think I’m just lucky because I was born with a good memory.”