A Braintree Sixth Form student celebrating a clean sweep of top grades says he hopes his future career will help “save the planet”.
Oscar Parry achieved an A* in maths, biology and chemistry, alongside an A* in his Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), after years of hard work and a focused revision strategy.
The 18-year-old, who has studied at Braintree Sixth Form on Notley Road, said he was particularly proud of his maths result.
“I’m especially happy with my maths result because it was extremely hard,” he said.
“I did a lot of prep and revision. A lot of tea got me through and listening to music.
“My system was to look at what I’m currently worried about – which was always something – and focus on that.”
Oscar’s disciplined and reflective approach to revision helped him tackle weaker areas head-on, ensuring he built confidence across all subjects in the run-up to exams.
Now, he is preparing for the next chapter of his academic journey after securing a place at the prestigious University of Cambridge, where he will study Natural Sciences as part of an integrated master’s degree.
“I’m very excited and obviously a bit nervous,” he said. “But I’ve visited before and I have some experience of at least what it looks like.”
Drawn to the flexibility of the course, Oscar said the broad nature of Natural Sciences appealed to his curiosity and desire to explore different fields before committing to a specific career path.
“I am not 100 per cent sure what I’d like to do,” he said.
“I chose the degree because it’s such a general degree – it was actually once called the general degree.”
However, his ambitions are firmly rooted in making a difference, with aspirations to work in areas that could have a lasting impact on the environment.
“I’m hoping to maybe go into medicine or material science so I can work in sustainability and green energy,” he said.
“If I don’t do something like that, I might not have a planet to work on.”
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