Derek Skipper, a 92-year-old from Cambridgeshire, is believed to have become the oldest person to sit a GCSE exam after completing a maths paper alongside 16-year-olds at Comberton Village College near Cambridge. He took the exam after finishing a free online course that required him to use YouTube for the first time.
Due to poor eyesight, Skipper used a magnifying glass to read the paper and admitted he ran out of time. However, he remained hopeful of achieving a level 4 or 5 result. 'It doesn't matter two hoots about the result but I'd like to get a 4 or 5,' he told SWNS. 'I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot about using a calculator.'
Skipper's tutor, Shane Day, said he hoped the story would inspire others to take up learning later in life. 'I think it's a good thing for people to think, well, you're never too old,' Day said. 'He said he wants to keep his mind active, and this was far better than watching television.'
Skipper decided to take the course to 'keep himself occupied' after struggling to help a young friend who repeatedly failed her GCSE maths. He completed five hours of tuition a week over two Zoom sessions, delivered through an adult education course run by the Cam Academy Trust.
Despite his age, Skipper was diligent in attendance, missing only one day during the Second World War when a bomb blast damaged his bicycle. He took his 1946 slide rule to the exam and said he found the experience easier than many others on the course.
