Students at West Nottinghamshire College have been congratulated on achieving the grades to progress to university, an apprenticeship or employment after collecting their A-Level and Level 3 vocational results today (Thursday, 15 August).

There were 475 A-Level exam entries at the college this year (2023/24) by 194 learners, while 476 students sat external exams and assessments on either Level 3 City & Guilds Technical or Level 3 BTEC National courses.

Students celebrated their results and outlined their future plans after studying at the college.

Complete disbelief was the expression that Alina Petrauska (above) showed as she discovered she had achieved three A grades in business, biology, and psychology at A-Level, which took her by total surprise.

Alina, 18, of Mansfield, said: “When I was doing my exams, I didn’t dare to expect high grades as I didn’t want to get my hopes up, just in case they turned out to be something different. So the three A grades are a shock really – but a pleasant shock!”

Alina’s next chapter will be heading to university to study neuroscience, either at Nottingham Trent University or the University of Nottingham. “Neuroscience sounds very interesting and has a good mix of biology and psychology, so I really want to get into this,” she said.

She said college life had been a very positive experience, adding: “The college community is so nice, with fabulous teachers – they’re so kind and professional.

“The last two years have been so good and I made lots of new friends, which I didn’t expect, but I made sure I branched out and connected with people.”

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Not many teenagers would stay up until the early hours of New Year’s Day studying and revising instead of celebrating – but that’s exactly what Sophie Orange did. Now her hard work has been rewarded because Sophie’s results have secured her an apprenticeship at an accountancy firm.

The 18-year-old, from Mansfield Woodhouse, achieved an A in criminology, A in law, and B in business and is now set to join the Chesterfield branch of BHP as a healthcare accountancy apprentice.

Click here to watch Sophie open her results

The firm had offered her the position on condition she achieved three C grades – and determined Sophie has comfortably exceeded those.

She said: “I’m really proud. I’ve done better than I expected, especially in business. I felt nervous and scared opening the envelope, but when I saw the results everything was fine. I couldn’t help crying with happiness.

“A lot of revision has gone into this rather than doing other things. I cut down my hours with my part-time job and didn’t see my friends as much. I always put my revision first and made sure I always came to college.

“I knew I wanted to work in the financial sector and I always liked the maths side of business. The apprenticeship also goes up to Level 7 so I can get a higher-level qualification at the end of it.”

Sophie received moral support from her mum, Terri Withington, and five-year-old sister, Charlotte, who accompanied her to collect her results.

Terri said: “I knew Sophie would do well. On New Year’s Eve she sat up revising until 2am instead of celebrating! I never had to tell her to revise because she was always doing it. She’s put the work in and got the reward.”

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With a career change in mind, mature student Kier Hickman took the brave decision to stop working full-time and return to education. His switch was justified after he achieved triple distinction-star grades (D*, D*, D*) on the Level 3 Advanced Extended Diploma in Information Technology programme.

The 26-year-old, of Stanton Hill, has spent the last eight years working at a supermarket in sales assistant, supervisor, and team-leader roles – but has now set his sights on a career in IT. “Working in retail during the pandemic made me realise it wasn’t what I wanted to do anymore,” he said. “I’ve been interested in IT for quite a few years so, after speaking with my family, I decided to go for it and do something I enjoy.

“Returning to education as a mature student worked out fine. I was just here for one thing – to get the results I needed.

“I was glad to see I’d done slightly better than I expected. It means I’ve got the best grades I can possibly get and I know that when I put them on my CV, I’ve probably got a good chance of getting a job interview.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this. I worked most weekends and after finishing college I’d go home, do my coursework and stay up until midnight every day, doing coursework or revising.

“I want a career in computer coding or hardware repair and am currently looking for either an apprenticeship or employment, depending on what’s available.

“I’m looking forward to seeing where I can go from here and move forward in life.”

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Nerves soon turned to joy as Megan Longmire opened her A-Level results envelope, which revealed an A* in psychology, an A in English language and a B in physics.

The 18-year-old said: “My heart was beating really fast! I’m so happy with these grades because it means I get to study psychology at the University of Warwick, which is my first-choice place to go.”

Click here to watch Megan open her results.  

Megan’s mum, Verity, and dad, Steve, accompanied the teenager to support her upon opening her results.

Verity said: “Megan has always worked hard and consistently done her best. She absolutely loves to achieve, so we always knew she was going to do brilliantly.”

Megan, of Sutton, also discovered she’s been chosen by the college to receive a Reading List Foundation scholarship that will provide £275 towards her textbooks in her first year at university.

Megan added: “I’ve been fine all summer but it hit me this week that results day was getting closer and the nerves set in. I’m so happy though!

“I’ve really enjoyed college and everyone has been so supportive and my teachers have always been able to put me at ease and answer my questions.

“I’m not quite sure yet what job I’d like but I think it will be something either in the world of psychology or I might like to become an author.

“I’ll have a deeper think as I get along in my studies at university.”

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A large smile lit up the face of A-Level student Jack Gackowski (above), who achieved an A grade in politics, a B in history and a B in law.

Jack, 18, said: “This is amazing as I can now focus on going to the University of Sheffield to study a combined degree in history and politics.”

The Mansfield teenager has already visited the university, which left a positive impression. He said: “I can’t wait to go, join a new city, meet new people and start this fresh journey. I’ve got my accommodation ready and I got a good feeling from the university when I visited on an open day.”

Jack was full of praise for the college, saying: “The teachers are so professional and have taught us well. The sixth-form is a great campus; the surroundings are much quieter which helped me adapt to studying.”

Ambitious Jack has a few career options in mind, which he will decide upon as he progresses on his degree course.

“I’ve thought about becoming a teacher, although I’d also be interested in looking at being an archivist, and then there’s the option of a job in politics,” he said. “I’ll see which doors open up as I progress.”

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Principal and chief executive Andrew Cropley said: “Many congratulations to all our students who have received their A-Level and Level 3 technical and vocational results today after two years of hard work and dedication.

“This gives them a great platform to advance onto their next steps, whether that’s higher education, an apprenticeship or full-time employment, and they all move forward with our best wishes for continued success.

“Not only are students leaving us with valuable qualifications, but they also take with them confidence, pride and a broad range of transferrable skills.

“I’m especially delighted for those who have achieved the grades needed to secure a place at their chosen university, which is testament to the commitment they gave to their studies.

“Heartfelt thanks to our incredible teaching and support teams whose skill, encouragement and patience ensures students have the very best opportunity to succeed during their time with us.

“Staff often go over and above to provide students with the encouragement and motivation to excel, and I’m certain their efforts will be appreciated by every individual they have taught and supported.”

West Nottinghamshire College offers one of the largest choices of A-Levels under one roof in Mansfield and Ashfield. Students on A-Level programmes study at its Mansfield and Ashfield Sixth-Form College, based at the Chesterfield Road campus. The building, in Mansfield town centre, features fully-equipped classrooms, science labs, IT suites, and social and support areas to provide a dedicated sixth-form where students can achieve their full potential using state-of-the-art facilities, underpinned by high-quality teaching.

Vocational courses are delivered at its main campus on Derby Road, Mansfield, and at its construction and engineering centres in Ashfield. Each campus provides state-of-the-art, industry-standard facilities where students gain the skills for careers in their chosen sectors, taught by teachers with industry experience.

Anybody interested in studying at the college should call 0808 100 3626.