A star student has achieved an incredible 14 A* GCSEs by getting up at 4am every day to revise. Ananmay Banerjee, who attended Llanishen High School in Cardiff, picked up his results on Thursday morning.
The 16-year-old chose media studies, business studies, computer science and digital technology as his options. This year he received 11 A*s, having already completed three A* GCSEs in maths, numeracy and English language a year early.
Student surprised by his own success
Speaking to WalesOnline at the school, Ananmay said: “I’m honestly pleasantly surprised. The last thing I was expecting was all A*s. I’m ecstatic.
“I worked very hard. I woke up at 4am every day and stuck to a strict routine. I think that was the hardest I’ve ever worked. It was difficult. I’m still very surprised.”
Asked how he will celebrate, he said: “I didn’t expect to get such amazing grades that I would need to celebrate so I haven’t planned anything at all. I will probably go out to eat to celebrate.”
Credit to teachers and family
Ananmay said he had a very positive experience at the school and made the most of his teachers by asking lots of questions. He said: “They helped me a lot. I was also a very annoying student because after classes I would send emails to all my teachers, I would follow up and ask a lot. A lot of credit goes to my teachers.”
To his younger peers, he said: “Definitely use your teachers. Whatever question comes to mind, just ask your teachers. They’ve got all the resources and they’re there to help you.”
Ananmay’s family went with him to pick up his results. His parents Krish and Jyoti were incredibly proud of the dedication their son showed, with emotions clearly running high.
Krish said: “All credit goes to him. He is somebody who is really self driven, setting up his alarms at 4am, taking a shower and starting straight away. He would go to bed at 9.30pm latest.
“Even if he hadn’t achieved this, we kept telling him that life is much bigger than this. It doesn’t matter in the context of the entire life. The most important thing is to be a good person.”
Jyoti added: “It was a very emotional moment. I’m always proud of him. He’s a good human being and a very sensitive child, a great son. He managed himself so well and I’m so proud of him.”
