An 18-year-old British-Pakistani student has set a new global academic record after achieving top grades in 23 A-level subjects.
Mahnoor Cheema, a former pupil at Henrietta Barnett School in north-west London, sat 23 A-levels and achieved grades of A* and A in all the subjects. She also completed an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), adding to her existing achievement of holding the world record in obtaining 34 A* grades at GCSE level in 2023.
Cheema, who has an IQ of 161 – higher than that of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking – has now secured an unconditional offer to study medicine at the University of Oxford. She described the admission as the fulfilment of her “childhood dream.”
Speaking to Geo News, Cheema said: “I am over the moon. I’ll be joining Oxford in October and I’m very excited to start the next chapter of my life. It’s been a joy doing these subjects, but I’m glad to be moving on to pursue the career I’ve always dreamt of. I really appreciate the position of privilege I am in, all thanks to my parents’ endless sacrifices.”
Cheema said she took such an unusually high number of subjects because she “would be bored and under-stimulated” doing the standard three A-levels. “I have loads of interests, that’s why I wanted to do so many subjects – it doesn’t take that much time or effort,” she said.
Her A-levels include psychology, sociology, law, business, accounting, economics, Latin, German, computer science, politics, classical civilisation, maths, further maths, geography, media studies, physics, chemistry, biology, English literature, French, and statistics.
Her teachers had initially tried to persuade her to sit fewer exams, warning that the workload could be overwhelming. But Cheema dismissed concerns about burnout, saying: “It’s not burnout if you enjoy what you’re doing.”
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Smashing global records
The teenager now holds six global academic records, including the highest number of A-level subjects taken, and passed with distinction by a secondary school student. All of her exams were taken through one exam board.
Cheema was born in the UK but lived in Pakistan between 2010 and 2016 before returning to Britain. Her mother, Tayyab Cheema, holds a master’s degree in economics, while her father, Usman Cheema, works as a barrister.
Her mother recalled that by the age of 11, Cheema had already read all seven Harry Potter books and memorised the Oxford English Dictionary.
Following her GCSE success, Cheema was praised by former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who said: “By showcasing her brilliance and earning top distinctions, Mahnoor has sent a message of hope and excellence to the youth, especially young females of Pakistan. She is the daughter of the nation.”
