Zoom lessons, uncomfortable masks and the fear of the unknown — nothing stopped these pupils from excelling in their Independent Examinations Board exams.
And now they are ready to pass their pearls of wisdom on to the matriculants of 2021.
Witnessing her parents, both doctors, battle the pandemic from the front line, gave Merrifield College’s top achiever all the motivation she needed to pass her matric with flying colours.
Despite the year’s unprecedented challenges, East London’s Sarah McCausland, 18, performed so well, she is the only Eastern Cape pupil to make it onto the IEB national outstanding achievers list.
McCausland obtained eight distinctions with an average of 92% and was placed in the top 1% nationally for life science and geography.
The 82 pupils on the outstanding achievers list placed within the top 5% in six or more subjects and achieved a rating of level 7 in life orientation.
“It was definitely a tough year for everyone but there were people who had it even tougher than me but still made it through and that was inspiring to me,” she said.
“My parents were my biggest motivation because they’re both doctors and have been on the front line from the beginning of this pandemic, yet they showed up every day and never gave up.”
Though the pandemic threatened her goals for the year, she adjusted and focused on excelling at school.
Her winning strategy included setting clear goals, praying and maintaining a healthy balance between her social and academic life.
“You have to put a lot of time and effort into your goals but you must not forget to have a social life because without balance everything falls apart.
“At the start of the year, I had a number of subjects that I wanted to reach new personal bests in and even though I didn’t reach all of my goals, I have learnt to aim for the moon so that even if I miss it I will land among the stars,” she said.
McCausland’s older brother is studying medicine at Stellenbosch University.
The young woman said she also wanted to study medicine, but at the University of Pretoria.
The aspiring paediatric psychiatrist has also been provisionally accepted at the University of the Witwatersrand.
“My dad is a surgeon, so that’s pretty interesting, and my mom is a gynaecologist, which is also interesting.
“Personally, I love children, so maybe I’ll be a paediatrician or a psychiatrist, or both.
“Being a paediatric psychiatrist would be my dream,” she said.
Switching between online and face-to-face classes also did not deter Kingswood College dux scholar Talia Aliber, 18, from flying her school’s flag high on the national top achievers list.
Aliber was similarly the only Eastern Cape pupil on the IEB national commendable achievers list.
The list contains 93 pupils who have placed within the top 5% in five subjects and achieved a rating level of 7 in life orientation.
Aliber obtained eight distinctions with a 91% average and placed in the top 1% for English home language.
“Our matric year was nothing like anyone would ever have expected and I am grateful to have been privileged enough to have an internet connection at home because I know that many others could not enjoy that privilege.”
Self-motivated, Aliber said she always gave her best when attending to school work, though she could be somewhat of a procrastinator.
She credited her supportive parents and dedicated teachers for her achievement.
“I live with my parents and younger sister, who have all been incredibly supportive and allowed me to pursue things I’m genuinely interested in while encouraging me to get good marks.
“That freedom has created a very positive atmosphere for me,” she said.
Aliber is interested in studying a BA in politics and philosophy at Wits.
“I am just a more humanities orientated person with an interest in current social dynamics,” she said.
Her winning recipe was giving school her best effort while allowing herself enough time to rest.
“It’s very important to give school your best, but also don’t base your worth on only that.
“You just have to find your balance because as much as you might want to sit at your desk all day, you won’t thrive mentally or emotionally if you do that,” she said.
The national IEB results were released on Friday, with a national pass rate of 98.07%, slightly lower than the previous year’s 98.82%.