China:A nine-year-old Hong Kong maths prodigy has become the youngest person ever to get two A grades for his British A-level examinations - the Leaving Certificate equivalents that are usually taken by 17 or 18-year-olds.
March Boedihardjo is an Indonesian-Chinese boy living in Hong Kong and he notched up his brace of As in mathematics and further mathematics.
He only managed a B in statistics, the South China Morning Postnewspaper reported.
March was nine years and three months old when he sat the exams in the summer, which means he pips the previous record holder, Ganesh Sittampalam, who scored an A in maths in 1988 when he was reportedly nine years and four months old.
The prodigy left Hong Kong two years ago to attend a one-to-one tutorial college in Oxford.
He was accompanying his father Tony and brother Horatio, who was offered a University of Oxford place at the age of 14 and needed to be accompanied by a parent to enrol.
Confirming the record is difficult because British exam authorities do not release candidates' personal data.
Tony Boedihardjo said his son had scored 472 points on the statistics exam - leaving him just eight points short of getting an A. He was "very happy" March had set the record but would not allow him to be interviewed or photographed.
"I am worried a high profile could have a negative effect on his development," Mr Boedihardjo said, adding that March had always demonstrated a talent in maths. But his father refused to put his sons through IQ tests for fear they would slacken off with proof of a high IQ.
The results have been faxed to four universities in Hong Kong to which March has applied - Hong Kong Baptist University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the University of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong university registrar Henry Wai Wing-kun said the faculty of science would most likely grant March an interview and would work out whether the youngster was ready through that process.
"We want him to feel comfortable with studying alongside students much older than he is," said Mr Wai. If admitted, March would become the youngest university student in the former crown colony.
Next week the results of the GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education exams) are out and Mr Boedihardjo expected his son would perform well, but might not score an A in all subjects.
Education is highly valued in super-competitive Hong Kong and the territory launched a scheme to support gifted children in 2001, which has given training and support to 6,000 children of exceptional ability since then and the government also plans to set up an academy for gifted education.