GCSE Results Day 2025: Derby explorer who failed her GCSE exams is now double Guinness World Record holder
On GCSE results day 2025, Derby's Preet Chandi, who once failed her GCSEs, is redefining success by becoming a double Guinness World Record breaker for her Antarctica treks.
A Derby explorer who failed her GCSEs has sent a note of positivity to students receiving exam results today.
Preet Chandi or ‘Polar Preet’ is a British explorer, former Army officer and Outward Bound advocate.
She has taken her GCSE results in big, sweeping strides and continues to excel, inspire and embark on global adventures featuring jaw-dropping expeditions.
Since getting her GCSE results the intrepid explorer made several record-breaking journeys across the world.
Now Preet’s pioneering work and ambition is immortalised in the field of education as she is now featured in an English exam paper.
Preet was delighted when she discovered one of her Antarctic expeditions was featured in a GCSE English Language paper - alongside 19th century explorer Fridtjof Nansen.
Preet says she didn’t do very well in her own GCSEs and has spoken openly about the disappointment she felt at the time.
But she is keen to let people know that her GCSE results did not define what came next.
Since then, she’s gone on to complete three expeditions to Antarctica, become the first woman of colour to complete a solo trek to the South Pole, and now appears in the very paper she once struggled to pass.
Preet was at Outward Bound’s Loch Eil centre in the Scottish Highlands, where she was meeting young people on outdoor adventure programmes.
Keen to share a note of positivity on this milestone day for thousands of hopeful students, Preet’s inclusive message is aimed directly at students - whether they are celebrating or disappointed.
Preet said: “Even if today didn’t go the way you hoped, don’t worry. You are more than your grades.”
Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of Outward Bound, said: “Preet’s story is exactly the kind of example young people need to hear on results day.
“It reminds us that success doesn’t always show up in your grades and that resilience, character, and confidence matter just as much.
“At Outward Bound, we see this every day. Young people thrive when they’re challenged, supported, and given the chance to learn through experience.”