TALENTED teenage linguist Marianne Hohendorf from Ross-on-Wye has been offered a place to study at Oxford University.

Marianne is one of eleven pupils from the Haberdashers' Monmouth Schools to be offered conditional Oxford and Cambridge places.

As anniversary events get underway to mark 400 years of excellence in Monmouth education, Marianne has received an offer to study law and German at Hertford College, Oxford.

Monmouth School was founded in 1614 thanks to a bequest by wealthy merchant William Jones, and four centuries on the 11 Haberdashers' Monmouth Schools pupils are set to study at two of the world's oldest and most prestigious universities.

Among the candidates - pictured in front of a painting of Monmouth School's founding father William Jones - to receive a conditional offer is young acting star and Monmouth school deputy head boy Wesley Nelson.

The Welsh-speaker played the part of the young Ian Dury in the biographical film Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, and has appeared in productions at the National Theatre in London and on TV in CBBC series The Sparticle Mystery, plus Casualty, Where the Hart Is and Doctors.

But he'll be swapping the boards for legal books if he obtains his projected A levels by studying law at Keble College, Oxford.

"Wesley is a fantastic actor and debater who has shared the screen with the likes of Ray Winstone," said head of sixth form, Hugh Tatham, "and like the rest of the boys, he's someone who aspires and stretches himself in other fields beyond his academic achievements and is a thoroughly decent young man.

"We're very proud of our Oxbridge boys, alongside all our sixth formers holding offers to study at top universities, who will all add to the cultural and sporting life of the institutions they attend."

Jack Davies from Usk has an offer to study history at St Catherine's Cambridge, and Mr Tatham said: "It's remarkable that Jack is the latest in a long line of history candidates to win an Oxbridge offer, with 14 successful students from Monmouth in the last ten years alone."

Talented musician and singer Ben Butt from Monmouth, who won a Nuffield Bursary to do scientific research and presented his findings to Nobel prize winner Sir Martin Evans, has an offer to study natural sciences at Homerton, Cambridge, while Devan Kuleindiren from Coleford, who was commended in the Kelvin Science prize, has one to study computer science at Robinson, Cambridge

A third scientist, Oliver Hudson from Newport, and also a musician, has an offer to study human, social and political sciences at Sidney Sussex, Cambridge, while first eight rower Robert Leighton has one to study maths at Exeter College, Oxford.

Three of the five students from Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls have received offers to study sciences and two to study Law.

Deputy head of HMSG, Tom Arrand, said the three science offers were in "direct contrast to the national trend" of girls failing to pursue such studies in science, technology, engineering and maths.

GB and Wales sailor and British Schools medal rower Rachel Tilley from Llandenny has been offered a place to study Engineering at Christ's College, Cambridge, while Roshani Badgami, a member of the Wales team at last year's world debating championships in Turkey, has received an offer from Newnham College, Cambridge, to study natural sciences.

Grade eight musician and talented composer Charlotte Moore from Chepstow has been offered a conditional place at St Anne's, Oxford, to study medicine, while Rachel Lam joins Marianne Hohendorf with a place to study law at Lady Margaret, Oxford.

Mr Arrand said: "Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls has an exceptionally high number of girls taking sciences and maths at A level," adding that the two law offers demonstrated that the character required to compete for places in one of the most competitive Oxbridge courses is nurtured at the school, such as thinking and reasoning skills and the ability to debate.

"The school is delighted that five of our students have received Oxbridge offers. We believe girls should have high aspiration and the confidence to achieve their true potential, and girls in the upper sixth currently hold offers from outstanding universities."