ISLAMABAD: Mahnoor Cheema, an 18-year-old British-Pakistani student, has made history by completing 24 A-Level subjects with top distinction to shatter multiple records.

Cheema set a world record for the highest 24 individual A-Level subjects passed with distinction, along with an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), all undertaken through one exam, without repeating components to boost totals. She holds the second A-Level record for the highest number of A* and A grades, earning 19 top grades.

The third is a combined record, with 11 A* grades in A-Levels added to her previous 34 A* grades in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) or O-Levels, making a total of 45 A* grades, the most awarded to any student in secondary education worldwide. Cheema’s fourth combined record is for the highest total of individual subjects passed with distinction: 58 in total, comprising 24 A-Levels and 34 GCSEs.

Born to Barrister Usman Cheema and Tayyaba Cheema who hail from Lahore, Cheema moved to the UK with her parents in 2006 when they pursued higher education at Lincoln’s Inn and SOAS respectively. The 18-year-old, who switched to homeschooling for her final year after having attended two different schools in London, credited her parents for all her achievements.

“I say more than mine, this is my parents’ achievement, entirely. It is a huge step that you leave your country, your family behind to come to another country to establish yourself just because your children may get a better future and a chance to pursue better education,” she said in an interview on Thursday.

“It’s the biggest sacrifice anyone could make, so I am very, very thankful to my parents.”

The 18-year-old, who regularly takes part in extracurricular activities and volunteers at a hospital once a week, has got an admission at the prestigious Oxford University.

“My place in Oxford [University] is confirmed. I am joining Oxford in October to study medicine,” she said, describing it as a childhood dream come true.

“It has been my childhood dream, I had never pictured any other university for myself.”

In 2023, Cheema had passed 34 GCSE subjects, including a record 17 with A* grades in Year 10 and 34 A* grades overall. The accomplishments set her 5th and 6th world records.

Asked about her daughter’s achievements, Cheema’s father said he had always described her as the “daughter of the Pakistani nation,” congratulating people in his home country.

“My daughter has doubled the Aug. 14 celebrations for the entire nation,” he said.