A-level results 2023: twins achieve identical grades - and are now off to the same university

There was double reason to celebrate for one family this A-level results day as twin brothers George and Jonny celebrated getting the same results in the same subjects.

George and Jonny Holman, both students at Whitburn Church of England Academy in Sunderland, received A grades in maths and physics, and B grades in PE. Now, the talented teenagers are both off to study Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle University, NationalWorld’s sister website the Sunderland Echo reports.

George, 18, said: “I wasn’t too nervous coming in this morning as I had already got an email from Newcastle University confirming my place and so I knew I must be close to my predicted results.

“We both got an email through this morning at pretty much the same time confirming our places and so it was a happy household.”

Brother Jonny added: “I got to sleep late last night as I was thinking about my results and so I’m really pleased with my grades. We are close as brothers, but we didn’t necessarily have a plan to go to study the same subject, we just both ended up wanting to do the same course.”

Another set of twins celebrating their A Level result were James and Luke Harker.

James, 18, attained A grades in biology and geography and a B in chemistry. He said: “I slept okay last night but I was nervous about finding out how I had done. I’m pleased with my results and I am going to the University of York to study Biology.”

Brother Luke, 18, achieved a grade A in Economics and grade B in Business and Geography. He said: “It was good that we were able to support each other on the way to school this morning.

“I’m happy with my results but I am looking for an apprenticeship in accountancy rather than studying at university. I feel I will learn more by working with professionals on the job.”

Students at the school achieved “similar” outcomes to their 2019 grades, with 22% of students attaining A and A* grades. It comes as the number of top grades this year fell as ministers tried to return marking to pre-pandemic levels, after record results were achieved in 2020 and 2021.

Lee Craggs, head of sixth form at Whitburn Church of England Academy, said: “Students, staff and parents have worked brilliantly well together to ensure that our results are indeed comparable with pre-pandemic levels. Our students deserve enormous credit for this and today we are celebrating their successes.

“We have responded to the NHS’s call to encourage students into the allied healthcare professions and have students entering radiotherapy, speech and language therapy, paramedic science, biomedical Science, pharmacy and physiotherapy, as well as medicine and dentistry.

“We also have students entering ‘shortage subjects’ such as modern foreign languages, physics and the creative subjects.

And, with costs of higher education spiralling, and more and better apprenticeships coming on stream, we are also seeing students successfully secure apprenticeships at all levels in a range of sectors including financial, education, defence and renewable energy.

“We are incredibly proud of the achievements of all of our students and the highlight this year has been the performance of those students identified as having additional education or health needs, many of whom have performed very well indeed.”