A Warwick Academy student who this week became one of only a few students worldwide to earn top marks in her International Baccalaureate has said that while she worked as hard as she could, she always made time to have fun.

Fiona Dobson, 17, achieved 45 out of 45, a score achieved by only 0.3 per cent of IB students globally, earning her direct entry into undergraduate study at the UK’s top university — Cambridge.

Fiona, who is the first Warwick Academy student to receive top marks and only one of two Bermudians ever to have done so, said she had her teachers to thank as well as her parents, Andrew, a teacher at the school, and Katrina, who had supported her wholeheartedly.

Describing the moment she found out her grades on Monday morning, Fiona said: “I was in complete shock — it was pretty incredible.

“I tried not to build my hopes up to anything. My goal was to get into Cambridge and I needed the 41 so I was looking for 41 or above but I saw the 45 and was just completely shocked. I made my parents sit over on the opposite sofa so they wouldn’t peer over my shoulder and when I found out they were asking, ‘what did you get?’ and I was speechless — I couldn’t tell them but they knew it was good because I was smiling.

“My dad started tearing up and my mother was just over the moon. They were by my side through the exams so my stress had been their stress — we were all completely relieved.”

IB students start applying for universities in year 12 and Fiona knew she wanted to get into Cambridge where her mother studied and where sister Anna is currently studying.

“I knew that getting into Cambridge was going to be a big commitment and I would have to work really hard so I made that my goal and tried to make sure I was working hard the whole time not just for the end exams. It didn’t just come naturally — I had to put the effort in — but I made sure I took breaks and did things I enjoyed at the same time. It put me in the right mindset to get the studying done.”

Aside from enjoying time with her friends, Fiona also took advantage of activities at Warwick Academy, including playing the flute and acting in school plays.

Finding enjoyment outside of work was one step towards her success but organising her time efficiently and taking past exam papers really put her in good stead.

She now plans to pursue a career in the field of geography and looks forward to her “eyes being opened to new opportunities” as she pursues her studies. “At the moment I am leaning towards physical geography which deals with the natural environment. Living in Bermuda has really sparked my interest in that.

“Geography is my dad’s passion. He really enjoys teaching me about that whenever we are away so he definitely encouraged me to take an interest in that. I am happy to follow my mum’s footsteps in going to Cambridge and my dad’s footsteps in taking geography.”