GCSE results day comes around every year. For some, it’s a day of commiserations. For others, it’s a day for celebrations. Especially in the case of one Wales teenager and her dad after she achieved the school’s best ever results.
School days, eh, I don’t miss them. The stress of passing exams, course work, all the politics. Succeed and you’re on a path to success. Muck up your grades, and well, take it from me, you can still end up doing a job you love. But it’s better to put the work in early. Trust me.
Molly Rowlands, 16, a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda, put the A* into acing your exams this week, bagging 14 top grades in all her subjects.
Her dad Clive is now facing a lighter pocket after promising Molly £100 for each A* she got.
As much as Clive is probably kicking himself, at least with a smile, it’s been a surprise for Molly, who says ‘it feels like a dream’.
Molly told UNILAD:
I never thought I would get anywhere near that number of A*s, it was such a shock to me!
Dad Clive told Wales Online:
It was two years ago now and it was a bit of a joke at the time – I had a bit of a shock when I heard.
Achieving the top grades in Maths, Numeracy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English Language, English Literature, Welsh Language, Welsh Literature, Geography, Computer Science, Welsh Bac, Additional Maths and Personal Finance was no easy task.
Molly put in an incredible effort towards her studies, putting in hours of homework throughout the school year and racking up hours of revision leading up to her exams.
She told UNILAD:
I revised every evening through the school year but it built up to four-to-five hours around three months before my exams. Yes it’s a relief that it’s over and I’m ready to do it all again for A-levels.
But she didn’t get there alone, her friends and teachers helped out along the way, with Molly continuing:
They’re really proud of me and I’m so lucky to have the best group of friends and such amazing and supportive teachers.
I certainly couldn’t have done it without them and they deserve so much credit for my results!
With the top GCSE results achieved, the future is Molly’s to decide as she picks her A-level subjects for the coming year.
The £1,400 Molly’s received from her dad, she says ‘more than likely I’ll be saving for university fees’.
The bet made back at the start of Year 10 has come back to haunt Clive.
Molly told Wales Online:
It started out as a family joke that soon became a bit of a talking point. It was two years ago before I started my exams.
I was just joking around saying what are you going to give me when I pass – he said £100 for every A*. We were only joking.
She added:
It just shows that I really didn’t know what results I would get. So on results day I was given a card with a blank cheque inside.
It was just a joke – but a few of my dad’s friends knew about it and kept winding him up. We kept the joke going really.
We’re glad you’ve got the last laugh, Molly! Let’s hope your dad makes a similar bet for your A-levels.
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Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.