Six Year 10 pupils have achieved Gold awards in the fiercely-contested Biology Challenge, with Emily, Jessie, Alice, Imy, Hakon and Verity each scoring over 90%, placing them in the top 5% from a total of 42,000 entrants from both UK and international schools.
Fifty-five Colfe’s pupils from Years 9 and 10 entered the competition, accruing between them nine Silver and 11 Bronze awards as well as the Gold awards, with further pupils achieving Highly Commended and Commended awards.
The competition, run by UKBC (United Kingdom Biology Competitions) consists of two 25-minute multiple choice papers, taken under staff-supervised exam conditions. Some questions were set on school curriculum topics, but the competition also challenged the pupils’ extended knowledge and understanding of the subject, applying biological knowledge to make connections. The Gold-winning Colfe’s pupils admirably rose to – and enjoyed – this challenge, with feedback including “I found it really fun as I could puzzle things out” (Alice) and “I really enjoyed the practical application of my knowledge” (Emily).
UKBC is a charity dedicated to encouraging the study of biology from secondary school through to undergraduate study. Alongside the Biology Challenge, the charity runs the Intermediate Biology Olympiad for Year 12 students, and the highest level British Biology Olympiad, an advanced problem-solving competition for A level students and an entry point for UK students to take part in the International Biology Olympiad.
