A graduate from Trinity Hall, Cambridge Ali Moeen Nawazish is notable for passing 23 A-levels, a world record. He got 21 A Grades, a B, and a C. He was born in Rawalpindi, and lived most of his life there. Both of his parents work as doctors. He studied at St Mary's Academy and Roots School System during his General Certificate of Education.
Nawazish claims to be an ordinary student whose academic performance oscillated as a child; he sometimes barely passed. He edited the school magazine. He plays the guitar and piano, and played for a musical band. He is a practising Muslim.
He received nine A grades in his O Level. The A Level subjects he took were Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Compute Studies, Marine Sciences, Applied ICT, Thinking Skills, Urdu Literature, General Paper, Geography, Applied Geography, General Further Mathematics, Human Biology, Further Mathematics, Sociology, Psychology, General Studies, English language, Travel and Tourism, Urdu Language, Business Studies, and Critical Thinking. He received awards for the highest marks in the country in Computing and ICT.
In his first year at Cambridge, Nawazish achieved a 2.2 in Part IA of the Computer Science Tripos. He switched in his second year to Part IIA of the Politics, Psychology and Sociology Tripos and achieved a 2.2. In his third and final year, he achieved a 2.1 in Part IIB of the Politics, Psychology and Sociology Tripos.
Nawazish was interviewed by or quoted in newspapers and TV channels, including Times Online, The Telegraph, The Independent, and the BBC. The media's response was highly positive. He was awarded the Pride of Performance award, which is one of the highest honours in Pakistan. Nawazish was congratulated personally by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
He has joined Pakistan's biggest media organisation, Jang Group and Geo. Where he is going to serve as youth ambassador, and try to introduce the youth and its issues to the main stream media where they are often neglected. He will also be hosting programs on Geo News and writing for Jang and the News.
Nawazish has founded Step Up Pakistan, an organization Pakistan primarily in the field of education. One of its subsidiaries is 'thealevelchallenge' which is a free website where students can ask academic-based questions and receive professional assistance. Other projects of the organization are aimed to train teachers, to improve education in the backward areas, to improve the country's curriculum and education system, and to carry out other humanitarian efforts.
Nawazish is a brand ambassador for the Pakistani telecommunications company Mobilink, which is a subsidiary of Egyptian-based Orascom Telecom Holding. The campaign for which he worked was Kal ke Liye Aaj Badlo which is an inspiration to make a change, bring a meaningful difference in our everyday lives, and rise above challenges, however large they may seem. Nawazish did a print and ad campaign with them.
One ambition was fixed in Ali Moeen Nawazish's mind as he made his way through school in Pakistan. He wanted to win a place at Cambridge. Sitting seven A-levels might easily have done the trick, even though he had started to study some of the subjects only three days before the exam. But he was determined to get some good grades. So he sat another three and three more. Then another nine, just in case, he took a couple of A Grades levels along the way.
The remarkable young student, who modestly explains he has 'quite a thirst for knowledge', secured 21 A grades, one B and a C. When he filled out his university application forms at home in Rawalpindi there was barely enough space to list his qualifications. His Cambridge dream came true four months ago when he embarked on a computer science degree course at Trinity Hall. Now he is due to win another place - in the Guinness Book of Records.
Ali, who speaks Urdu, English and Punjabi, sat all the exams within 12 months at Rawalpindi Roots College International. His entry was organized through accredited boards Ed-Excel and Cambridge International Examinations. Ali also achieved a top score in the U.S. admissions test and was accepted by most Ivy League institutions, including Harvard and Yale. Apart from core science subjects he is almost entirely self taught. He studied for up to 12 hours a day, using energy drinks to help concentrate.
He still managed to keep up his leisure pursuits, however, playing the guitar, cricket and table tennis, and editing his school newspaper. He even found time for a trip to America to attend a Harvard leadership course. Ali's incredible talent began to emerge only at the age of 15. He was a chubby boy and rather solitary and many of his early results were mediocre.
