SUPERSTAR sixth form student Ellie Warner is jetting off to Beijing next month after being selected to represent the UK at a language competition.

The Burgess Hill School for Girls student qualified for the second round of the International Linguistics Olympiad 2014 in early February by sitting a tough two-and-a-half hour paper with questions in Turkish, Kairak, Ilokano, Lontara and with 3,000 students gunning for a place in the next round held at Liverpool Hope University, she smashed her way into the top 16.

Ellie has an offer to read Chinese Studies at Cambridge’s Clare College in September.

She said: “It feels a bit overwhelming because I just didn’t expect to win against the other candidates, but I’m really happy that I did.”

The sixth former is fluent in four languages and knows bits and pieces in about 20.

She is looking forward to broadening her cultural horizons when she travels to Beijing.

She added: “I’m really, really looking forward to it and especially the summer when I get to meet the teams from all around the world and hearing all about their cultures – that’s the best part.”

SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

Winner: Ellie Warner