It took an hour and a half for some to get their results, but it was worth the wait as English Schools Foundation students continued to perform stunningly in their International Baccalaureate exams.
Four students achieved the full 45 marks on their IB exams, and almost all their peers received the diploma after going through an education programme widely considered one of the toughest in the world.
'I can't tell you how difficult it is to achieve that kind of result,' Heather Du Quesnay, ESF chief executive told students and their families. 'Congratulations to you all.'
Three years after switching to the IB diploma the ESF has seen a steady increase in students obtaining the certification, with 97.5 per cent of 763 students receiving the diploma this year, up from 94.1 per cent last year, and 91. 7 per cent in 2009. The global average last year was 78.1 per cent.
According to the IBO website, there are 958,000 students worldwide taking the IB. Last year, only 96 students were awarded full marks. Two were ESF students. The four students who achieved full marks this year were Angela Wu and Dorothy Yang from King George V School, Myron Lam from Island School and Rachel Robertson from Sha Tin College. Mobbed by the press, but chuffed to be in the limelight, the students joked with one another while posing for the cameras.
'It's a bit unreal,' said Robertson. 'I kept checking and checking [the IBO website for results].' She also said that she and the others were all kept on edge as results came in late.