From barely speaking English, to five A’s at a level – in two years!
Beijing schoolgirl Wei Wang is celebrating five A grades at A level, just two years after arriving in Britain speaking only a few words of English. Wei, 19, gained top marks in maths, further maths, chemistry, biology and physics. She won distinctions in maths and physics and chose to extend her time in the exam hall by an hour to take the tough Cambridge University pre-entry exams.
What is special about Wei? When she arrived in England she could barely speak English. She spent her first three months in Britain grappling with English before taking up studies at Manchester High School for Girls.
Wei, who also had two part-time jobs to pay her rent, has now secured a place to study medicine at Cambridge. “I’m quite pleased, though my parents didn’t sound that impressed. I think they just expected me to pass,” she told the Sunday Morning Post.
Wei says she wants to stay in Britain and become a doctor. “I prefer maths and physics as they overlap. English is not my best subject,” she said. “What I like about Britain is that you are allowed to express yourself more – and also the weather!”
Useful words & expressions:
Barely - something that is only just true (Wei’s ability to speak English)
Distinction - special award for a very high level of achievement
Express (yourself) - show what you really think or feel
Gain - to achieve a good result after a lot of effort
Grappling (with) - trying hard to solve a problem
Secure - to obtain something you really want
Sound impressed - when we describe the way someone ‘sounds’ we mean the impression we get when they speak
Tough - a tough task (or exam) is very difficult to do well
Overlap - to cover part of the same area of interest or knowledge
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