Ranuli Wijesirwardhana, a student of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo, has achieved remarkable success by completing both the G.C.E. Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examinations within the same year.
In May 2024, Ranuli sat for the 2023 (2024) G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination, earning 8 As and 1 B, with the B in English Literature. Just a few months later, in November 2024, she took the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination in the Physical Science stream, securing 3 As and achieving an impressive island rank of 963.
While completing her Grade 10 studies, Ranuli simultaneously prepared for the A/L curriculum. Since students below a certain age are not permitted to sit for the A/L examination through school enrollment, she withdrew from formal schooling and completed the exam as a private candidate.
Her father, a teacher with 20 years of experience, emphasized that Sri Lanka’s education system should provide greater flexibility for gifted students to advance faster. He noted that while graduates in Sri Lanka typically enter the workforce at 26 or 27 years old, graduates in other countries often do so by 21 or 22, and that accelerating educational pathways would benefit both individuals and the national economy.
Ranuli’s extraordinary achievement has reignited discussions on the need for reforms to better support and nurture exceptionally talented students.
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