British-Pakistani teen sets four new world records by passing 24 A-Levels with distinction

In an extraordinary feat, 18-year-old British-Pakistani student Mahnoor Cheema has set four new world academic records after passing 24 A-Level subjects with distinction.

Mahnoor’s latest achievement adds to her already remarkable academic journey, bringing her total to six world records. She has now secured a place at the University of Oxford, where she will pursue a degree in medicine.

Her newly set records include:

1. Most A-Level subjects attempted and passed with distinction, 24 subjects, along with an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), without repeating any component to increase her totals.
2. Highest number of top grades in a single attempt,  19 A and A* grades.
3. First student to secure 45 A grades combined with 11 A grades* at A-Level, in addition to her previous 34 A* grades in GCSEs/O-Levels.
4. Highest combined total of distinctions in both GCSEs and A-Levels,  58 in total, including 24 A-Levels and 34 GCSEs.

This is not Mahnoor’s first brush with academic history. At age 16, she made two additional records by passing 34 GCSE subjects, including 17 with A* grades in Year 10 alone, and achieving 34 A* grades overall.

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These achievements earned her a meeting with then-Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif at Stanhope House, where she was gifted a MacBook in recognition of her success.

Her talents extend beyond academics. Mahnoor holds an equivalent graduate degree in music, having completed her AMusTCL diploma, and has earned gold medals in acting and public speaking. She also completed her EPQ in just 10 days, achieving a perfect 100% score.

Originally from Lahore, Mahnoor is the daughter of Barrister Usman Cheema and Tayyaba Cheema, who both pursued higher education in the UK at Lincoln’s Inn and SOAS.

Mahnoor began her education at a private school in Lahore before moving to Langley Grammar School in West London, later joining Henrietta Barnett School in Central London, and eventually switching to homeschooling in her final year.