OXFORD sixth formers are celebrating after getting some of their best results ever in the International Baccalaureate (IB).

St Clare’s, in Banbury Road, North Oxford, celebrated its best IB results yet, while Headington School, which has only offered the IB for four years, scored a higher average grade.

The IB is the equivalent of five A levels, but students study six subjects, with an emphasis on global current affairs.

At Headington, 18-year-old Gerda Bachrati, from Oxford, scored 44 out of 45 marks. In September, she goes to Cambridge University to study veterinary medicine.

She said: “I chose the IB because it gives you more variety. It is useful, especially with problems like global warming affecting species around the world.

“There are a lot of exams in a short amount of time, which is a lot of pressure but I quite like that.”

St Clare’s has offered the IB since 1976. This year, 109 students took the IB in May and achieved a 97 per cent pass rate.

One student, 18-year-old Sophie Spies from Germany, achieved the top possible score of 45 points, the equivalent of five A* results at A Level.

The average score at St Clare’s was 36.4, while the eight IB candidates at Headington School scored an average of 37.75.