Cardiff Sixth Form College, known for record-breaking exam results, had to design a new mathematics curriculum for student Joshua Lavelle, 18, after he exhausted the standard A Level material. Joshua achieved top A* grades in mathematics, further mathematics, biology, and chemistry, securing a place to study Mathematics at St John's College, Oxford.
Rapid Progress Through Extra Material
Joshua, from Cardiff, joined the college on a scholarship. His teachers said he "distinguished himself as one of the College's most accomplished mathematicians," pursuing university-level mathematics years ahead of schedule. His maths teacher Huw Kilner noted that Joshua progressed rapidly through the additional material.
Joshua explained: "I attended both the AS and A2 STEP classes (to help with Oxbridge entrance) in my first year and eventually we ran out of pure mathematics material to cover. From there we moved on to university-level mathematics, which has been incredibly useful preparation for Oxford."
University-Level Topics and Leadership
His studies included advanced topics such as Dirichlet's Theorem in number theory, typically encountered in the third or fourth year of an undergraduate degree. "We were studying mathematics that is typically taught in the third or fourth year of university. Those classes had a huge impact on me and showed me just how deep and fascinating mathematics can be," said Joshua.
Beyond academics, Joshua served as president of the college's student-led Maths Society, which entered over 50 students into competitions including the UK Senior Maths Challenge, British Mathematical Olympiad, Rightangle Team Competition, and the Berkeley Mathematics Tournament. He also competed in the N squared Mathematics Modelling Competition, where teams had 14 hours to produce a research paper on Birmingham's housing challenges using statistical and mathematical modelling.
Future Plans and Recognition
Looking ahead, Joshua is considering careers in education, academia, engineering, computer science, or finance. Outside the classroom, he completed his first marathon this year and enjoys fencing, gym training, and rock climbing.
Cardiff Sixth Form College's Tom Arrand said: "Joshua is an outstanding mathematician and Huw Kilner, our head of further maths has had to write a completely new curriculum as nothing was available for this standard of mathematician. He has also been an inspirational leader and motivator of younger students, taking great delight in helping them explore the world of maths and what is has to offer. He has an exciting future ahead of him."
