EIGHT Sydney students have achieved a perfect 45 score in the International Baccalaureate, four of them from one school.
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MLC students Lucy Cavallaro, Petronilla Grace, Nikita Simpson and Subeta Vimalarajah all top-scored in the highly regarded alternative to the HSC. Of 38 girls, 23 gained a score over 38: the HSC equivalent of 95. The top mark is equal to a university entrance score (ATAR) of 99.95.
Schools yesterday downloaded the scores from a database in Cardiff, Wales, and passed on the results to their students. Newington, Trinity, Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College and Redlands each had one student with the highest possible marks for the program.
Nikita Simpson said she was shocked by her perfect score. ''I didn't really expect it,'' she said. ''I had worked pretty hard but there is a lot that's up to chance.''
Having just returned from an interview for politics, psychology & sociology at Cambridge University, Nikita said she had applied on a whim and had not chosen the program specifically to get into international universities. ''I really liked the ethos of the IB. I didn't really think about going overseas to university at that stage; if I get in it's a bit of a fluke.''
The appeal of the IB over the HSC was ''intellectual freedom''. ''I like the way they encourage you to be an inquirer, a thinker and encourage well-rounded growth,'' she said.
Australian students traditionally do well in the IB. Last year 156 students worldwide achieved a score of 45; only one of those was in the United States. MLC students are particularly well represented, with four in 2010 and 2008, and two in 2009.
The principal of MLC, Denice Scala, said the success of her school and of other Australian students could be attributed to a rich culture of learning, perseverance and of encouraging students to believe in themselves.
''Our staff are quite expert at it now and are quite passionate about it,'' she said.
In NSW the program is offered only in private schools and traditionally attracts the brightest students who are well suited to a rigorous curriculum. However, the Ravenswood IB co-ordinator, Robin Julian, said his school encouraged a range of students to choose this study stream over the HSC as its broad scope was suited to self-motivated students, not just those with the highest marks.
Ravenswood student Henrietta Longmuir wavered between choosing the HSC or IB, but finally settled on the international program. She found the subjects were more interesting and comprehensive than the local options her peers chose. ''I'm glad I stuck with it and it was nice not to do the same thing,'' Henrietta said.
