Girl gets exam. A rating

Press, 24 January 1985, Page 10

Girl gets exam. A rating

NZPA-AAP London A girl, aged nine, received a Grade A pass in mathematics in the British OLevel examinations, which most pupils sit when they are aged 15 or 16. Antonia Barnes, from Birmingham, who is now 10, could read before she could walk and did jigsaw puzzles at 18 months.

At the age of four, she was assessed as having an I.Q. of 160-plus, a genius rating, the “Telegraph” reported. She sat her O-Level examination at the same age as Ruth Lawrence, who is now, aged 12, gaining top marks at Oxford University.

Antonia’s father is not so sure about sending his daughter to university yet. “Universities are places where more is done than

just studying, but we shall have to see,” said Mr Derek Barnes, a lecturer in vision science at Aston University. “It might be harmful to stop her going to university early if she is ready for it.

“If she goes through school at her present rate, she could be ready by 16.” Antonia’s mother, Angela, a former mathematics teacher, admitted she had given her daughter a little extra coaching. “Antonia was very naughty when she was a toddler until we realised it wasn’t naughtiness but boredom. She needed to be stimulated.” Antonia is now in a class with boys and girls aged 12 or more.

“She is completely at home there,” said Mrs Barnes.