Ukrainian refugee, 17, who fled Kyiv with her family at start of the war is offered place at Cambridge after receiving four A* grades in her A-levels
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A Ukrainian refugee who fled Kyiv with her family at the start of the war has been offered a place to study at the University of Cambridge after achieving four A* grades in her A-Levels.
Anna Ursakii and her younger brother Sasha fled air sirens following Russia's invasion, travelling west through 10 different countries before they finally made it to northern Italy.
After hearing about a scheme at a prestigious British school, she emailed the prestigious Brighton College and was thrilled to be awarded a place at the under the school's pioneering scholarship system.
Today, Anna, 17, has won a place at the University of Cambridge to study Natural Sciences after she achieved four A* grades in four A-Levels, despite English being her second language.
Head teacher Richard Cairns says Anna threw herself into life at £43,000 a year Brighton College, becoming a member of the award-winning chamber choir and part of the dance show team.
Anna Ursakii and her younger brother Sasha fled the war in Ukraine following Russia's invasion in 2022
Today, Anna, 17, has won a place at the University of Cambridge to study Natural Sciences after she achieved four A* grades in four A-Levels
During her time at the college she made sure to keep the war in the forefront of everyone's minds.
Anna, who arrived at the school in 2022 with her six-year-old brother Sasha, said: 'I was absolutely terrified of the sirens. They scared me so much.
'We heard Brighton College was offering places to Ukrainian refugees and we applied. I just emailed them, chancing my luck and they got back to me.'
After a call with the headteacher - which she had to make from a petrol station - she was offered a full scholarship.
Working hand in hand with local charities and refugee organisations, Brighton College has taken around 20 Ukrainian children on full scholarships.
Reflecting on her time in England, Anna said: 'I've really valued the opportunity to be at Brighton College. It is a gift to be free, to be safe, and to have a future. I feel safe now, I have good friends and a warm home.
'It breaks my heart that my friends from Ukraine don't get to experience this and instead have to study in shelters. My hope now is hope for the future and hope for peace.'
Mr Cairns said: 'So many Ukrainian youngsters have had their whole lives entirely upended by this terrible war, and the story of Anna gives a glimmer of hope for the future.
Anna opens her results, which will see her study at the University of Cambridge, in Brighton today
Anna had to call Brighton College from a petrol station during her journey to the UK
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson visits Loreto Sixth Form College on results day as students receive their grades
Hannah Greenwood reacts with her parents after receiving great A-level results at Solihull School in the West Midlands
Jack Gallagher with his parents Matt and Lisa as he receives his A-level results at Solihull School
Hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their exam results today (Pictured: Students at the City of London Academy)
'I am so proud of this remarkable young woman and am just glad that we were able to help her a little along the way.'
Brighton College pupils have achieved record-breaking results, with a phenomenal 99.3% A*-B, thought to be the highest results of any school. An incredible 85.2% of results were A*-A and almost half were A*.
Hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their exam results today in a year when grading was expected to be restored to 2019 levels in all three nations.
More than a quarter (27.8 percent) of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade, up by 0.6 percentage points on last year when 27.2 percent achieved the top grades.
This was also higher than in 2019 - the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic - when 25.4 percent of entries were awarded A or A* grades.
But the overall pass rate - the proportion of entries graded A* to E - has fallen to 97.2 percent this year, which is lower than last year (97.3 percent) and the pre-pandemic year of 2019 (97.6 percent).
The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), cover A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In England, exams regulator Ofqual had said it expected this year's A-level results to be 'broadly similar' to last year, when grades were restored to pre-pandemic levels.
In Wales and Northern Ireland, exam regulators said they aimed to return to pre-pandemic grading this summer - a year later than in England.
It comes after the Covid-19 pandemic led to an increase in top grades in 2020 and 2021, with results based on teacher assessments instead of exams.
The number of applicants accepted on to UK degree courses has risen this year, Ucas figures show.
Overall, 243,650 18-year-old applicants from the UK have been accepted at a university or college, compared to 230,600 last year - a rise of 6 percent.
