TIMPERLEY schoolgirl Jennifer Mullally  has passed Mandarin A level, with a grade B - at the age of nine, writes Eve Maynard-Walker.

Her 14-year-old sister Olivia, who also took the exam in June, gained an A.

The sisters, of Harwell Road, are gaining recognition for a second time after both achieved A*’s in GCSE in Mandarin two years ago.

Lily, their mother who is a teacher herself, explained that "the exam is very challenging”.

They both speak Mandarin and English, but their mother said the reading comprehension, translation, essay writing and 500-word research based essay, which take two years to complete, was a big test for both.

Lily knew Olivia would be able to handle the exam but says “with Jennifer, I wasn’t really sure”.

However the girls' Irish father, John, who works as a renewable energy engineer, said “ just try it, I will be overjoyed if she can manage to pass it.”

He said of their success: "Mandarin will open a new door for your future."

Jennifer is a pupil at St Vincent’s Catholic Primary in Altrincham. Olivia attends Loreto Catholic Grammar School in Altrincham and would like to study Chinese at either Oxford or Cambridge.

The sisters are mainly taught Mandarin at home by their mother, although Olivia also attended lessons at a Chinese school in Manchester.