Monday, September 4, 2000		Article

Indian girl sets new GCSE record

A boy and a girl, aged six, have become the youngest children yet to pass a British GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) exam, The Independent of London reported recently.

Both the children are of Indian origin. The child whose record they beat is also of Indian origin.

According to the paper, Elissa Patel, who turned six in October, and Rajaei Sharma, born 11 days later, both scored a C in Information Technology.

By margins of only a few days, they surpassed the previous record-holder, Krishan Radia, who obtained a C in a computing GCSE two years ago when he was also six. Their achievements are celebrated on the day that 6,70,000 student in England and Wales received record GCSE results for the 12th year running.

All three studied in their spare time at the private Ryde College in Watford, Hertfordshire. Elissa said she would like a trip to Legoland, near Windsor, and an ice cream as a reward.

Her father, Amrish, said: "Elissa lost a tooth last night. She put it under the pillow and I think the tooth fairy came with her results."

Her mother, Deepti, said: "It is fantastic and she has worked very hard, but there was no expectations for her to do the exam. It was her choice." Elissa's elder sister, Leah, 10, got an A in the same exam.

Rajaei, who has just won his 10-metre swimming certificate and a football trophy, said: "I really like computers but I prefer football. I want to be a pilot for Virgin Airlines."

Mike Ryde, Ryde College's managing director, said: "If children were allowed to take one or two exams each year from an earlier age, I am sure they could achieve better results without the pressure of multiple exams."