A YEAR 8 pupil is celebrating getting top marks in her German GCSE.

Headington School pupil Iona Willcox, 13, grew up in England, however her parents spoke French and German at home.

She sat her German GCSE three years early and has achieved a grade 9, the highest score.

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Her mum Heidi – a former languages teacher – said: “Iona grew up in England but she was in a household where we were speaking French and German.

“I’m half Austrian and my husband is half French.

“We would speak to her in those languages, so she grew up in that environment.

“Even so, it was a big decision to sit the GCSE this early – it’s taken quite a lot of work, especially with the writing side of it.

“She’s done it all independently, with our help and support.”

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This year, the oral section of the GCSE did not count towards the overall grade, therefore she lost her biggest strength.

Mrs Willcox continued: “She had to really knuckle down to get her German writing up to the highest standard.

“She worked from home on it during the pandemic, working independently, and was able to take the exam online through Tutors & Exams, an external exam centre in Coventry.

“We were online at half past eight this morning, and we were absolutely over the moon.

“She hoped she would get these results but you can’t take anything for granted.

“She wants to do her French GCSE next year, she has this advantage of course but she wants to give it a go.”