OUT of thousands of candidates, a Dunmow student has finished in the top 10 in the country in his subject. Adam Dunkley, aged 16, studied GCSE art and design over the last two years culminating in this summer s exams, where he performed extraordinarily we

OUT of thousands of candidates, a Dunmow student has finished in the top 10 in the country in his subject.

Adam Dunkley, aged 16, studied GCSE art and design over the last two years culminating in this summer's exams, where he performed extraordinarily well.

Not only did the teenager get an A* but out of the 36,294 students who took the tests, he came in the top 10 with one of the highest overall marks, according to Edexcel, the UK's largest awarding body.

Jerry Jarvis, Edexcel's managing director, offered Adam his congratulations and said: "This is a tremendous achievement and a testament to the hard work students put in preparing for their exams."

Barbara Caley, head of Helena Romanes Schools' art and design department, was thrilled with the result saying he deserved the praise for all his hard work.

Headteacher, Simon Knight, agreed: "We are extremely proud of Adam's result - it is a reflection of his undoubted talent and hard work together with the support of the excellent teaching staff."

Amazingly three more art students from the area achieved a UK top 10 finish in their exam results, according to the same exam body.

Felsted School students Georgina Plunkett of Cock Green in Felsted, Lucy Dixon of Little Dunmow and Rachel Smith of Colchester all achieved top 10 positions out of 6535 candidates in this years A-level art exams.

Georgina, who achieved a total of four A-levels, said: "I am really happy yet surprised at gaining this level in the exam. My teacher encouraged and helped me with every aspect of my artwork."

All three of them will now head off to university to study art history, psychology, and philosophy respectively.

A school spokesman from the art and design department said: "I am obviously delighted that the girls' hard work and talents have been rewarded and recognised nationally. They did very well at AS level in the first year of the sixth form and this gave them the platform to continue to flourish at A2."

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