QE economists placed in top tier

Two Year 13 students have been placed in the very highest echelon of the 7,000 students who studied for a financial qualification.

“Arran Patel and Chamesh Mallawarachchi were both in the top 1% of students who took the Institute of Financial Services Certificate in Financial Studies (CeFS),” said Economics teacher Christina Wu. “This is a fantastic achievement both for the boys and the School.”

The CeFS is a one year course equivalent to an AS-level and can be followed by a second year of study for a Diploma in Financial Studies (DipFS), which is recognised as an A-level equivalent. The School first offered the opportunity to study for the CeFS in 2010 and the DipFS in 2011.

The Institute of Financial Services (IFS) has designed the CeFS to encourage students to make informed decisions about their finances. It consists of three mandatory units: Why Money Matters; Risk and Reward in Personal Finance and Making Personal Judgments. The aims include enabling students to become responsible borrowers and sensible savers, and giving them an appreciation of the need for financial planning throughout their lives.

Those studying for the qualification are recommended to allow 180 learning hours, and the IFS provides study materials through its website:  www.ifslearning.ac.uk.

Arran and Chamesh have received letters of congratulation from the Vice Principal of the IFS School of Finance, Martin Day. They have both been offered scholarships of £750 should they decide to enroll on one of the IFS’s degree programmes next year.