Cambridgeshire man, 92, passes GCSE maths exam with top mark

A 92-year-old man believed to be the oldest person in the UK to sit a GCSE exam has passed his maths paper with a grade five - the highest mark possible for the foundation course he studied.

Derek Skipper, from Orwell in Cambridgeshire, sat the exam after studying via Zoom.

He last sat a maths exam in 1946 when he used a slide rule, but this time he had a calculator and a magnifying glass to help with his poor eyesight.

He said he was delighted with his pass.

Speaking after June's exam, Mr Skipper said: "If I get a five I'll be very chuffed, but if it's a four, I'd accept that.

"My family thought I was nuts for trying it but [were] also very supportive and helped me out."

The Cam Academy Trust, which runs Comberton Village College where he sat his exam, said Mr Skipper was the "oldest person to sit a GCSE".

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on the day of his result, Mr Skipper said: "I am very pleased indeed."

When he last took a maths exam in 1946, he said he "just went through the motions... and didn't really understand much about it".

"Here was an opportunity that came through the door to do a Zoom meeting - doing the test again - and seemed to me to be an ideal opportunity.

"Maths is a wonderful thing and it is very easy to say you are no good at it... any opportunity to learn and embrace it, great."

Mr Skipper used his trusty magnifying glass to assist with reading the questions.

He said he "wouldn't have been surprised if I failed because I could not see it very well, but with a magnifying glass it worked out well".

Sitting the actual exam was not stressful, he said.

"It didn't matter two hoots whether I passed or failed, I was doing it for a bit of fun for myself."

Asked if he planned to sit any more exams, Mr Skipper said: "No, I think that is probably my lot, I think I shall go out on a high."

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