I attended Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School in Basingstoke for Year 7.

My mother, my
sister, and I went to the Philippines the summer before I entered Year 8. During this trip, my
grandmother fell ill and eventually passed away, which meant that my mother would have to stay in
the Philippines to care for my grandfather. Meanwhile, my father is still working and living in
Basingstoke. Now that my sister and I are turning 18 and 16, respectively, we are returning to the
United Kingdom to study for university and sixth form college.

Because of the fact that I left during secondary school, I was unable to take my GCSEs. The Philippine
education system uses quarterly examinations every school year. The final academic grade in each
subject for the school year is determined based on the average of these four examinations. This
differs from the UK system wherein there is one major examination taking place over two or three
academic years as in the case of GCSEs.

The academic grading system in the Philippines works as follows:

A+ is 95%-100% (Outstanding)

A is 90%-94% (Advanced)

P is 85%-89% (Proficient)

AP is 80%-84% (Approaching Proficient)

D is 75%-79% (Developing)

B is 74% and below (Beginning)

If you wish to see my full school report cards, please let me know and I will gladly send a copy via
email. I will be staying with my father while I am attending college. As he is currently living in the
United Kingdom, it would be ideal to send correspondence to him.

My father’s address is:

Felner Aleria

89 Worting Road

Suite 8, The Red House

Basingstoke

RG21 8YU

United Kingdom

Mobile number: 0789 562 5814

Email address: faleria@gmail.com

Living temporarily in the Philippines has granted me the opportunity to discover more about
myself and develop a genuine appreciation for the world. The environment I experienced was
challenging due to academic competitiveness and the unfamiliar education system. I was placed
in the year group with a 1-2 year age gap between me and my older classmates. Nevertheless,
these challenges have further advanced my critical thinking, problem-solving, and
communication skills. I have enhanced my leadership skills as I am consistently assigned as
leader in group projects.

I am knowledgeable in composing academic texts such as critiques, research papers, and thesis
papers—as well as presenting topics and delivering speeches. I have been an awardee in Years
8, 9, and 10, acquiring top marks in all my classes. Currently, I am an honour student achieving
straight A+ and A in my subjects and running for valedictorian in the next school year. However, I
have decided to return to the UK because of the advanced learning opportunities that I can
explore and experience.

My passion for science, particularly astronomy, is my driving force in excelling. The complexity
and mystery of the universe never fail to amaze me, and I am deeply intrigued by how science
answers all questions—allowing us to understand how everything works. I am also fascinated by
world history, geography and archaeology. Furthermore, I believe that awareness of
contemporary issues such as climate change, feminism, racism, LGBT rights, is crucial to an
individual’s understanding of the world and I wholeheartedly agree that today’s youth should be
involved in solving these issues.

Writing both creatively and informatively has been one of my most favourite activities since
primary school, where I joined the weekly newspaper committee. I also represented my school
as a member of the Young Interpreters Scheme, a program which supports students learning
English as a second language. In addition, I have been involved with the donation of goods and
funds towards calamity victims and have raised money to send indigenous Filipino children to
school.

As someone with genuine enthusiasm towards learning, I find that school is both an enjoyable
and stimulating place. It is where individuals can learn from their peers, teachers, and even
themselves—which will help them strive towards their goals. I believe that I can utilise my
strengths in a new environment such as Peter Symonds, and continue to grow not just
intellectually but also as a person.