18-year-old prodigy achieves 58 distinctions,
including 24 A-Levels, securing a place
at Oxford University to study medicine
Web Desk
Islamabad/ London: Mahnoor Cheema, an 18-year-old British-Pakistani student, has made academic history by completing 24 A-Level subjects with top distinctions — breaking four new world records and taking her total to six global academic achievements. She has now secured admission to the University of Oxford to study Medicine, fulfilling her lifelong dream.
Her first A-Level record is for the most individual subjects taken and passed with distinction — 24 A-Levels plus an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), all through one exam board without repeating components. Her second is for the highest number of A and A grades* in A-Levels, achieving 19 top grades.
Her third record combines 11 A* grades in A-Levels with her earlier 34 A* grades in GCSE/O-Levels, totaling 45 A grades*, the most ever awarded to a secondary school student worldwide. Her fourth record is for the highest total subjects passed with distinction, 58 in all — 24 A-Levels and 34 GCSEs.
In 2023, she passed 34 GCSE subjects, including a record 17 A* grades in Year 10, setting her fifth and sixth world records. She also holds an AMusTCL diploma in music, gold medals in acting and public speaking from LAMDA, and is a Mensa member.
Speaking from her home in Langley, West London, she described receiving her Oxford offer as “a childhood dream fulfilled”, crediting her parents for their sacrifices. “This is more my parents’ achievement than mine,” she said. “Leaving your country and family for your children’s future is the biggest sacrifice anyone can make.”
Born in Lahore to Barrister Usman Cheema and Tayyaba Cheema, she moved to the UK in 2006. She attended Langley Grammar School, Henrietta Barnett School, and later switched to homeschooling for her final year. Her academic brilliance has been praised by Pakistani leaders, including Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, with Nawaz calling her “the daughter of the nation.”
She will join Oxford University in October to pursue medicine, combining her academic discipline with her passion for music, public speaking, and community service.
