A student who escaped conflict in Sudan to live in the UK described passing his GCSE exams in maths and English as “one of the proudest moments in my life”.
Nasser Hamid, from Ipswich, secured grade four passes in both subjects, picking up his maths grade on Thursday after passing English earlier this year.
The 20-year-old aspires to be a football referee after an injury halted his goal of becoming a professional player.
At Suffolk New College, he is taking an IT course aimed at an engineering career alongside his refereeing plans.
On finding out he now has his English and maths qualifications, Nasser said: “I feel proud – it is one of the proudest moments in my life – this is the result I was waiting for to step forward.
“Thanks to Suffolk New College, without their help I wouldn’t be standing here.”
Nasser recently oversaw a charity football match at Ipswich Town’s ground, Portman Road, and said he would love to referee at a future World Cup.
He also officiates at Saturday and Sunday league games.
“I started at grass roots level and recently had the pleasure of stepping out at Portman Road – one of the greatest stadiums in England,” he said.
“It was eye-opening.
“I recently went to the Edinburgh International Cup.
“And I’d like to continue to progress, to the Championship, the Premier League and with the World Cup – who knows.”
Nasser started out as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) student at Suffolk New College.
He urged others in a similar position to “just believe in yourself”.
“With discipline and hard work, you can achieve your goals,” he said.
Nasser said he was “pushing forward to be an engineer”.
“I’m on track,” he said.
“Next, I’m going to do an access course and then (hopefully) go to university to study engineering.”
David Squire, head of maths at Suffolk New College, said: “I’ve never been prouder of a learner in my life.”
Top grades for GCSE entries have seen an increase compared with 2025, though overall pass rates have now settled back to pre-pandemic levels, according to national data.
Meanwhile, the results gap between boys and girls has closed further, reaching its smallest margin this century.