Five students from Elizabeth Moir School have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge universities to begin courses in September 2025, a record for the school in one year.  At present, there are only 5 Sri Lankan undergraduates at Oxford and 9 at Cambridge, across 4batches, so one school having 5 students offered places in one year is remarkable.  Three other Moir alumni will still be at Oxford and Cambridge next year too, so there will be a total of 8 Moir students at the UK’s two top universities.

Malith Gunawardena will read Economics at Cambridge University.  The Cambridge Economics course is the most prestigious in the world.  Past students and faculty include John Maynard Keynes, Milton Friedman, JK Galbraith, Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen and a total of 19 Nobel Prize winners.  A significant proportion of current Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors around the world are alumni; Malith hopes to join their ranks.  A promising fast bowler, Malith is also aiming to follow in the footsteps of Sri Lankan cricketers like Gamini Goonesena and Mano Ponniah and play for Cambridge. Malith earned nine 9s in his IGCSEs and four A*s at A Level, winning the award for the Highest Mark in the World in Economics after scoring 100% on all his four papers.  Malith impressed his interviewers with his mathematical skills, intellectual curiosity and vast general knowledge.  Malith recognises how the school contributed to his success: ‘The teaching at Moir motivates students to understand how concepts are connected instead of simply memorising information, and this creates real passion for your subjects.’

Raveen Akuretiyagama has been offered a place to read Engineering at St. Peter’s College, Oxford.  Raveen joined the school aged 11 and achieved ten 9s in his IGCSE examsin 2023 and prizes for scoring the Highest Mark in Sri Lanka in Computer Science and Geography.  His application stood out as he had represented Sri Lanka in both the International Junior Science Olympiad in Bogota in 2022, where he won a Bronze Medal, and the FIRST Global Robotics Olympiad in Athens last year, where the team of Moir students he led finished 6th out of 193 countries and brought home gold medals for Engineering Design.Raveen expresses his gratitude‘for the endless support that allowed me to perform well at my interviews and obtain an offer.’

Savaira Sammoon is one of two students given places to read History at Cambridge in September.  She joined Moir aged two years old in 2008 and left last year as one of the school’s Head Prefects.  She achieved nine 9s in her IGCSEs and developed her interest in political and social issues through writing for national newspapers, editing the school newspaper and being head of the Press Corps at the Sri Lanka Model United Nations.  She is currently applying for an internship with US Senator Mark Warner in her Gap Year.  Savaira believes that, ‘The support and guidance I received from my teachers at Moir were truly invaluable. Extensively preparing me for my interviews and always maintaining an unwavering confidence in my abilities, they were consistently dedicated to helping me succeed.’

Sulaari Stuart joined the school in the 6^th Form and went on to earn 3 A*s in her A Levels and the award for the Highest Mark in the World in IAL History, having scored 99.5%.  She impressed the fellows at Sidney Sussex College with her essay blaming Nehru rather than Jinnah for Partition, challenging conventional views.  She was also President of the school’s prestigious Essay Club, which helps the school’s top students develop the skills and interests they need to impress interviewers.Sulaari says that ‘the array of support and advice available for university applications ensures that every student is able to achieve their full potential.’

Tienn Kapilasena also joined Moir when he was two years old.  He spent fourteen years in the school and earned nine 9sin his IGCSEs before moving to England with his family.  Tienn was appointed School Captain at Sevenoaks School there, despite being new, before being offered a place at Hertford College, Oxford to read Geography. The number of students from Elizabeth Moir School who earn places at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Stanford and other top universities reflects not only its students’ outstanding academic results and the guidance it gives on university applications but also the school’s emphasis on teaching students to think for themselves and encouraging them to pursue their interests beyond the syllabus through independent reading and research.