Mamma mia – Year 9 twins take top grades in Italian GCSE

14-year-old Ivybridge Community College students achieve A*s.

There was double the excitement for one Devon family today, as twins Ella and Phoebe Middleton both achieved A* grades in their Italian GCSE exams, scoring exactly the same marks across all four units of their work.

And what made the achievement even more incredible is that the girls are both in year nine – aged just 14 years old.

“We were so excited when we arrived at college this morning,” said Ella. “I was shaking and could hardly open my results envelope, but it was such a good feeling when we realised that we had both got A stars.”

“The only pressure was the pressure we put on ourselves,” added Phoebe. “We knew we were capable of getting top grades if we put our minds to it, and that’s exactly what we did. We can’t thank Mrs Pearce enough for the help and encouragement she has given us – we wanted to get good grades for her as well as for ourselves.”

Ella and Phoebe were encouraged to study for the GCSE early by their mother after returning from Italy when they were 10. The family had spent two years there as their father was serving there in the Royal Marines, and mum Anna was insistent that they attended an Italian school rather than the forces’ English school.

“I love foreign languages,” said Anna, and I felt it was important for them to fully immerse themselves in the Italian culture by going to school there. It wasn’t a popular decision with the girls at first, but they’re thanking me for it now.

Despite their head-start, gaining A*s was still no easy task for Ella and Phoebe, so Ivybridge Community College Assistant Principal Amy Pearce (who also teaches Italian, German and French) gave up her time to help the girls during school lunch breaks. “Anna Middleton approached me at a ‘Taste of Languages Evening’ before the girls started at the college to ask if there was any way that we could help the girls maintain their grasp of Italian,” said Amy. “I suggested that they could begin working towards a GCSE straight away – and it all went from there. Ella and Phoebe are extremely bright and ambitious girls, and they’ve been a pleasure to teach. I’m sure they’ll go on to do just as well in their other GCSEs in two years’ time.”

The girls’ GCSE consisted of four units, all of which they scored highly in. “The exam papers were quite easy,” added Phoebe, as we’d had lots of practice. The hardest part was the controlled assessments, where we had to prepare a piece, memorise it, then re-produce it in controlled conditions.

Ella, who has ambitions to travel around the USA, and Phoebe, who would like to work in London one day, are now looking forward to getting started on their other GCSEs when they begin year 10 in September. "We're anxious to start GCSE work with our friends," added Ella, "and it's great to know that we already have a GCSE."