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Hundreds of thousands of students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their A-level results today (Thursday, August 14).
Oxford Spires Academy on Glanville Road was no different with lots of happy faces celebrating stellar scores all around.
Rafete Dauti from Oxford was one of the star students of the year, having achieved an A* in Media, an A in English Literature and an A in Art.
READ MORE: Students across Oxfordshire to receive A-level results
Rafete Dauti is headed to Oxford Brookes after some brilliant results. Here she is next to two pieces of her artwork. 👏 @OxfordSpiresAc pic.twitter.com/lnhv6gSgBB
— Edward Burnett (@edwardburnettt) August 14, 2025
“I had low expectations and I thought I would get lower grades as I felt really stressed during the exam period,” she explained.
“I was overthinking all of my exams and papers, but I am really happy with what I’ve got, and I really didn’t expect it as I was preparing for the worst.”
The 18-year-old’s results are just the latest achievement in what has already been a sensational 2025 for her.
Rafete’s artwork has been on display at the Summer Exhibition 2025 for a couple of months at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
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“I didn’t really want to apply, but my teacher, Ms Dix, was really pushing me to do it and had confidence in me, so I’m really grateful for her,” she said.
“I was very stressed as my art was just kind of there and anyone could see it, which was weirdly intimate in a way, but it was really fun.
“It was a really great experience as I went to London with my friends and my brother went too which was lovely.”
The Oxford Spires Academy student was pictured next to two pieces of her artwork on results day.
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Explaining the pieces, she said: “The skeleton piece was for my Year 12 summer mock, which was a module on surfaces.
“I painted a skeleton, and I’m not going to lie, there is no real meaning behind it, but I wanted to paint the anatomy of it, and I had fun.
“The other piece is of my friends and is about femininity with flowers as an interesting motive.
“I found that one fun to paint and experiment with bright colours.”
Rafete has chosen to stay in her home city for the next step as she will take up Digital Media Production at Oxford Brookes this September.
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“I chose to stay in Oxford as I’m not a very independent person and I prefer to build up my confidence while staying at home for the moment,” she said.
“We will see what happens in the future, but I saw the course, I went to the open days, and I thought it was really fun, as I do want to become a motion designer.
“I make projects at home, so I thought it would be fun to experiment further and learn more about the industry, so that’s why I applied there.
“A motion designer’s work is about video editing and is kind of an art form in itself, and I want to make advertisements for companies and clients.
“It’s a nice career choice for me.”
