Identical twins achieve identical A-level grades securing places at Oxford University
A pair of identical twins from Cardiff have both secured a place at the University of Oxford after achieving identical A-level grades.
It comes as thousands of students in Wales received their A-level results after this year's exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Results show almost 30 per cent of students achieved A* and A in their A-levels - an increase of nearly 3 per cent from last year.
18-year-olds Arianne and Enyala Banks both achieved four A*s at Cardiff Sixth Form College.
The duo had previously received identical marks in their GCSEs with 14 A*s.
The pair have been side by side throughout their education. But despite heading to the same English city, the teenagers will finally be separated by different colleges.
Enyala will be attending Queen's College to study Materials Science, while Arianne will study Law with French Law at Mansfield College.
Arianne, who studied French, History, Politics and Biology at A-level, said Britain leaving the EU had inspired her decision to study law.
“I am so interested in how the legal world is changing and in particular looking at which laws we maintain and which we change coming out of the EU," she said."Coupling law with French means that I can look at the international side of law and I am very much looking forward to learning more about both the British and French legal systems."
Enyala chose Maths, Physics, Chemistry and History at A-level. She was initially unsure about what she wanted to study, but an Oxbridge conference in Swansea gave her inspiration.“This was the first time I was introduced to material science," Enyala said.“I really liked the structure of Oxford’s course and the mixture of physics, chemistry and maths in the subject – it is very broad and follows on well from my EQP in nuclear energy.”
Enyala said her time at sixth form gave her and her sister time to grow as individuals.She said: "For the first time Arianne and I have made separate friends, perhaps because we chose such different subjects."As twins this is quite unusual as we are very alike in many ways but also have very different sides to our personalities.”Arianne added: “We are used to answering to each other’s names so it was refreshing to actually have our own space and to realise that as well as being similar we also had room to develop very different talents.”Gareth Collier, Principal of Cardiff Sixth Form College, said the twins will be great additions at Oxford."Both the girls have really inputted into life here at Cardiff Sixth Form College with Arianne developing her leadership skills as a Prefect and Enyala bringing a real sense of humour into her science lessons," he said."I am very much looking forward to seeing how they develop and will certainly be inviting them back to share their experiences, which no doubt will be very different, with future students at the school.”The high achieving girls have also excelled outside of school, with Arianne representing Wales in the World Schools Debating Championships in Thailand, and Enyala winning a Gold Crest Award in the Engineering Education Scheme Wales.