10 A-grade A-levels, but turned down by Oxford

An A-level student picked up five top grades today to add to the five As she has already gained.

Amelia Al-Qazzaz, 18, was turned down by Oxford University despite her remarkable achievement, and will take physics at Imperial College, London, instead.

The Teesside High School pupil, from Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, picked up As in biology, chemistry, French, further maths, sport and PE, to add to the As she has already achieved in physics, maths, computing, business studies, and general studies.

She completed her GCSEs by the age of 14, achieving 13 passes at A or A*, and then entered the sixth form at Teesside High School.

She took five A-levels early but was still too young to go to university, so continued at the independent school in Eaglescliffe.

As well as excelling academically, Amelia was the school's sports captain and performs publicly on the piano and violin, for which she has achieved grade 7.

Headmaster Tom Packer said: "We are thrilled for Amelia. I have had the pleasure of teaching her and she really is an outstanding student who will be able to go far in whatever she does."

Amelia said Oxford told her she did not win a place because she did not score highly enough in a test and did not interview well.

"I was obviously not what they were looking for," she said.

She was delighted to win a place at Imperial, where she will take a four year undergraduate masters course.

Amelia, whose mother Annie is a physiotherapist and father Nader is a chemical engineer, said her parents were "really pleased" with her results.

"I am really happy, I put the work in and I was just hoping it was enough."

She will decide on a career while studying.

"I have no idea what I will do, hopefully something exciting," she said.