A BOY born in Bethlehem on Christmas Day achieved a university's highest ever English mark.

Scoring a record 98 per cent for his dissertation, Anas Mahmoud Ahmed Disi graduated from his English Master’s degree at the University of Sunderland this week. He also won the Sir Walter Scott Prize for Best MA English Studies Student.

His academic supervisor, Dr Alison Younger, said: “We’ve never had a student like Anas before, he just blew us away with his lateral thinking.

"He has the kind of mind that allowed him to take huge imaginative leaps, he has such a passionate love of literature and engaged in every aspect of the course.

“When it came to grading his dissertation, we spent hours scrutinising the work thinking we must be missing something, to see a piece of work of this standard which is nearly flawless and work we’d expect to see written by an experienced Emiterus Professor.Even the External Examiner was aghast when she read the quality of work he’d produced and couldn’t disagree with the marking.”

The 23-year-old Palestinian, born on December 25 in historic Bethlehem, has returned home to Amman, Jordan, to work as an academic co-ordinator at a private language centre. He hopes to develop his career in teaching and research and start a PhD and aspires to become a literary critic and professor.

Despite missing his graduation ceremony at the Stadium of Light and not collecting his award in person, he said: “I feel honoured. Being awarded this prize was not only a personal milestone, but also a feat of pride for my family and the many beautiful friends who supported me enough to finish the dissertation in the form it was submitted. It was their unwavering support that led me here.”