![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2016/01/DSC_0318_55318.jpg)
Hard work has paid off for Emilio Ziniades from St John’s College.
Emilio received nine distinctions, putting him in second place of the top achievers of school for 2015.
Emilio received distinctions in Afrikaans, English, French, history, life orientation, mathematics, physical sciences, AP mathematics and AP English.
He is humbled by his achievements.
“I think both my family and I are very pleased. I worked for these exams and It’s always nice to see hard work pay off. It’s very hard to predict your own marks and often you are very self-critical and so I didn’t necessarily expect the set of marks I received. I also tried to limit my expectations to try and prevent possible disappointment,” said Emilio.
He also said preparing on time helped him to face the exams with confidence.
“My final set of exams, starting in late October, was the end point of a year of consistent studying. Thorough planning in the form of a huge 2015 desk calendar and piles of Post-its enabled me to study efficiently without endless late nights.
“Because I began preparation for my final exams relatively early in the year, by the time the exams started I was very comfortable with the various syllabuses for my nine subjects. This set me at ease. The exams seemed less overwhelming and so I felt confident when writing” said Emilio.
He is looking forward to achieving his dreams and goals of a law degree.
He has been accepted for a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Cape Town.
The long-term plan is an undergraduate PPE followed by a post-graduate law degree.
Other top achievers with over seven distinctions from St John’s were Logan Geldenhuys with 10 distinctions, Thomas Montgomery, Liam Collins, Wessel Joubert, Raees Patel, Tamlin Love and Jesse Stevens with eight distinctions.
Tariq Koor, Daniel Arnot, Craig Morshead, Matthew Peterson and Daniel Slater each achieved seven distinctions.
St John’s College achieved a 100 per cent pass rate and a 100 per cent BD pass rate.
Thirty matriculants achieved an average of over 80 per cent and a further 59 pupils achieved an average of over 70 per cent.
A total of 338 subject distinctions were achieved.