GCSE and BTEC Exam Success Summer 2026

Showing true strength and resilience, Year 11 students at The Compton School have achieved fantastic GCSE results in Summer 2026 with a large number of students achieving the very highest grades. On the day, the Concourse was buzzing with delighted and relieved students opening their white envelopes and there were smiles all round when students saw that their hard work and perseverance had paid off.

Emily Walker-Nolan, Assistant Headteacher, had the privilege of talking to some of the top achieving students on the day:

Top Achieving Girls: (left to right) Reema (9999999988), Nanaka (99999999987) and Naima (9999999988)

How do you feel today?

Reema: Before today, I felt more in anticipation than nervous; I felt proud of what I’d done in the lead up to exams and nothing could take that away. I’m so relieved now, though!

Nanaka: I spent the whole summer trying not to think about it – it was a real mixture of excitement and fear but I knew that I had tried my best. I’m also relieved today!

Naima: I was very anxious – I just kept thinking back to what I had written in my exams. Today, I’m extremely happy and very relieved.

What are your future plans?

Naima: I would like to study Sociology, French and History A Levels – I’m not really sure about the future just yet!

Nanaka: I am going to Imperial College London to study Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Psychology A Levels. I picked Psychology because I really like learning about humans and human behaviour.

Reema: I am hoping to go to Henrietta Barnet School to study Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Biology.

What has been your greatest challenge this year?

Reema: The challenge with GCSEs is that you just have so many subjects to learn over the space of just two years – it can feel like a lot, especially when you are doing Triple Sciences. I had an ambition for myself: to achieve the top grades in all of my subjects and I got a lot of support to do this from my family, teachers and friends. I would say to anyone that it is important to take breaks, alongside your studies.

Naima: For me it was just keeping on top of revision without getting distracted. I tried to section what I needed to do into little bits – it didn’t work for me to do massive blocks of revising the same thing.

Nanaka: Again, it’s how many subjects there are and how different they are – for me, I took Art and there is lots of practical work to do and learn, whilst studying for all my other subjects on the side. I had to make a schedule that fitted me, with breaks built in. It’s not the best to study for hours and hours.

What advice would you give to students in Year 11 about getting through the final GCSE year?

Nanaka: Instead of cramming, just consistently do 30min blocks of revision, consistently. And make sure you get lots of sleep!

Reema: Don’t overthink this – you’re going to see other people doing better and worse than you. It’s difficult but try not to compare yourself to others – focus on yourself rather than constantly competing for the top.

Naima: If you get behind, don’t panic! Lots of people are in the same shoes as you are. Practise the bits you don’t know well and make sure you do lots of past papers.

What is the best thing about The Compton School?

Naima: The students and people here – it’s a really friendly place and I’ve made friendships here that I’ll value for the rest of my life.

Reema: The environment is just so supportive, friends and teachers. My teachers knew just when to push me to get to my best.

Nanaka: The teachers are very supportive and there are lots of revision sessions and interventions that I found really helpful.

 

Top Achieving Boys: Gabriel (9999999998), Max (9999998887) and Luca (99999999888)

How do you feel today?

Luca: I was nervous that I would do worse but I’m very happy now. Before my exams, I set the highest expectations for myself – I had support from my family and teachers and got what I needed to go on to my next steps.

Gabriel: I was really nervous for pretty much the whole summer. I was worried but now I’ve seen my results I feel like I can finally breathe!

Max: I did not feel nervous as I just thought what I’d done in my exams was done – there was nothing I could change and I left each exam feeling confident. I am really happy today though!

What are your future plans?

Max: I am really interested in Human Sciences, so I am going to study Maths, Economics, Geography and Spanish A Levels next year.

Luca: I am hoping to have a career in medicine and I’m going to study Biology, Chemistry and Maths A Levels. I am also really excited about doing an EPQ – I would focus on mutations in genomes and viruses.

Gabriel: I am thinking about a career in either engineering or finance in the future and am going to study Physics, Maths and Economics A Levels.

What has been your greatest challenge during your GCSE studies?

Gabriel: Keeping up with the content throughout the course and then trying to study and revise in the last stretch. There’s just so much knowledge that you need to know and you really need to know it months before the real things. I found short sessions of revision to be the most effective.

Max: I actually found going into Year 10 a really big jump up and the intensity just grows – but, you adapt quickly and I tried to make routines that worked for me.

Luca: I just did not know how to revise best and for my mocks, I don’t think I revised properly – I did get a shock. I found that completing lots of practice questions and learning the mark schemes, especially for the Sciences, really helpful.

What advice would you give to students in Year 11 about getting through the final GCSE year?

Luca: I know everyone says it but start revising early – and don’t waste time on revision methods that are actually not effective at all. Really, you just need to get doing practice papers.

Gabriel: There’s still lots of time to get things done in Year 11 – it’s not too late! In the final weeks before exams was when I did most of my revision.

Max: Revision can only get you so far but you need to be organised too – have everything ready and in place for the final stretch and make sure you can access all the resources you need. You don’t want to waste time trying to find things.

What is the best thing about The Compton School?

Max: At Compton, you have knowledgeable teachers who really know the exams and their subjects. The support given is brilliant here.

Gabriel: There are so many nice people and the teachers are good. Yes, they are strict but that’s for the best – they really know what they are talking about.

Luca: There’s a family atmosphere at Compton – I often came after school to speak to my teachers just because I enjoyed it.

Hard work paid off for (pictured left to right) Katerina (9988887766), Camille (999988777) and Bella (9888888777)

How do you feel today?

Katerina: I was very nervous – there were a few subjects I was worried that I wouldn’t get but I also felt weirdly calm because I had put in the hard work. Now I am really, really happy and very excited!

Camille: I felt so scared because, even though my teachers kept telling me I was doing well, I just didn’t believe it! I’m so happy today!

Bella: All summer, I just kept trying not to think about it because I would get really paranoid and scared but now I’m really happy and proud.

What are your future plans?

Camille: I’m so happy that I got my DT grade because I want to study Textiles at A Level – I would love a career in fashion in the future.

Bella: I am going to study Dance, Music and English Literature at Elstree Performing Arts School – I would love a career in the Arts, perhaps as a singer.

Katerina: I would like a career in medicine and am going to study Chemistry, Biology and Maths at A Level.

What has been your greatest challenge this year?

Katerina: keeping the motivation to revise, especially when you’re so tired at the end; it’s really easy to burn out. I would try to remember all the effort I had put in and that would keep me going.

Camille: Just going to school and then coming home and revising straight away – it felt a bit relentless. I would not go out – over the Easter holidays, I revised every day. But, looking back now, I would say it was completely worth it.

Bella: Just the procrastination about revising – to be honest, I feel like I never fully overcame this! I would try and listen to an album that would make me lock in to the work. Setting 45min timers for revision and then making sure I took breaks with no Tiktok in them made a big difference for me.

What advice would you give to students in Year 10 or 11 about getting through the final GCSE year?

Bella: Don’t be lazy in Year 10 and the revision will carry over. Also, it doesn’t have to be a lot, all the time. You need to have a life too.

Katerina: Make a timetable because revision can quickly get overwhelming. This helps you feel in control of it.

Camille: Sometimes, starting too early is not helpful because you forget things. Try to go into the exam with a clear head – leave everything that’s happening outside of this, outside the exam hall. You have to practice with the right timings!

What is the best thing about The Compton School?

Camille: My teachers – I do really like all of them! And the Saturday intervention sessions were really helpful for me – thank you!

Bella: The passion from all the teachers – you might not like all of them, but they are really good at what they do!

Katerina: The teachers are so willing to help – I went to so many and they all helped me so much

Happy students, Sam (99888877775) and Cortez (99999998887) share their advice for future students

How do you feel today?

Sam: I’m positively surprised – some subjects, I got what I though I would and I performed better in others that I wasn’t expecting either!

Cortez: I was confident about what I did – I really did a lot of preparation! And I’m so pleased because I got what I wanted!

What has been your greatest challenge this year?

Cortez: I found English Literature really challenging as I have not been in the UK for a long time; thanks to my teacher, I still did really well.

Sam: Like Cortez, I did 11 GCSEs and it’s really challenging to juggle all your subjects, all about different and unrelated things, all at the same time! I tried to make this easier by making connections between my subjects, for example some subjects share similar contexts, like History and English, and there are lots of connections between Maths and Physics too.

What advice would you give to students in Year 11 about getting through the final GCSE year?

Cortez: Find your teachers and actively look for help. Use resources and start revising early.

Sam: You need to take it slow and steady – this is really important for revision; when there’s lots of content, you need to use your time carefully.

What is the best thing about The Compton School?

Cortez: The teachers here are very supportive and I think the curriculum is a good pace – it means that everyone has the understanding that they need to be successful in the exams.

Sam: The teachers have knowledge of things outside of their subject areas here – there’s no tunnel vision, they work together. This helps us to make connections in our learning.

Celebrating success: Ronnie (998877776), Erk (9999888887) and Rory (9999888776)

How do you feel today?

Rory: Very shocked and stunned! I am lost for words – I’m so happy! Before today, I was quite nervous – not because I though I would fail, I was just worried about the final grades.

Ronnie: I’m pretty happy. I didn’t have a good night’s sleep last night and woke up really early this morning! I was confident before, though.

Erk: I also couldn’t sleep last night! I feel relief today!

What has been your greatest challenge this year?

Erk: The step up from Year 9 to GCSE was a big jump, especially for new subjects to me, like Computer Science, because you have to learn it all in two years. I asked my teachers for help when I needed it.

Rory: Just the amount of content and how long you leave it before you revisit it – you don’t want to leave it too late! I found starting briskly and working fast helpful and I made myself a timetable for revision and stuck to it consistently.

Ronnie: It was challenging for me because midway through exams, I had to go to hospital. I took revision time out and then jumped straight back in again.

What advice would you give to students in Year 11 about getting through the final GCSE year?

Ronnie: The hardest thing about revision is starting it! Don’t be complacent – just get straight in!

Erk: Start preparing early – you always think you have more time than you actually do! Use your teachers and your resources to help you.

Rory: When teachers say “Start early”, just start it!

What is the best thing about The Compton School?

Rory: The learning environment and vibe of the school and lessons – it’s friendly and competitive, in a good way. I’ve always felt comfortable here – that’s why I’m staying for Sixth form.

Erk: The connections you make here – it’s a really close-knit community.

Ronnie: The teachers – they are really good at their jobs and always happy to mark papers for you!