Glasgow pupil CJ makes history by gaining A grade in Higher Italian.. at just 13 years old

Aug 18 2011 By Joe McGuire

Cameron Sinclair

Proud CJ gets A pass in language Higher at the age of just 13

A FIRST-YEAR pupil has put in a bravissimo performance by attaining an A grade in Higher Italian at the age of just 13.

Cameron James Sinclair is the only Glaswegian to achieve the top grade at such a young age - four years before most youngsters sit Highers.

Of 227 pupils who sat Higher Italian this year, 152 achieved an A pass.

Cameron James - known as CJ - learned the language when he and his family moved to Italy in 2005 for five years.

He said: "I'm absolutely delighted and very happy to pass first time.

"I think the practice I got in Italy helped a lot."

His parents arranged for him to sit the exam, but CJ had little time to prepare.

Days after seeing his first past paper, he took the first element of the assessment, the oral exam.

CJ, who is a pupil at Williamwood High School in East Renfrewshire, said: "I didn't really do a lot of preparation but mum said just to treat it as an experience, to just go in and do my best.

"I'm so pleased that it's gone so well."

His mother Adele said: "He's a wee star. We moved to Italy after seeing all these change-your-life programmes. We'd honeymooned in Italy and decided to go live the dream.

"We moved back to Glasgow due to concerns over their education system.

"Now we're just so proud of him. The headmaster said CJ's more fluent in Italian than he is."

A spokesman for exam body the SQA called CJ's result a "fantastic performance".

They added: "Cameron James is one of the youngest candidates to have achieved an A grade at Higher in any subject and he is due our very sincere congratulations."