Heathfield students excel in the International Chemistry Olympiad
9th May
“The competition is the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad 2024, UK Round 1.
“I open the competition to all year 13 A level chemistry students, but only recommend students who are grade A/A* standard due to the challenging nature of the competition. Especially as the competition date falls when the students are studying for/sitting mock exams for their A levels, which adds a further layer of pressure,” explained headteacher, Caroline Barlow.
This year only Elke, James and Josh were entered. Historically up to 5 students are given the opportunity per year.
The competition consists of a 2 hour examination that was sat on January 25th this year. The paper is extremely challenging, asking questions that require knowledge from beyond the scope of the A level specification, up to degree level chemistry and requiring critical thinking skills and problem solving in a range of chemical contexts. This years paper included questions about the metals used to make the World Cup trophy, MRI technology used by the NHS, and fuel producing bacteria, amongst other things.
The students then had a long wait for their results whilst they continued to study for their final exams in the summer.
Students found out their results after the Easter holiday, in April. 14,915 students had taken part nationally and to achieve a Silver certificate, James and Elke scored amongst the top 25% of entrants, and Josh achieved a bronze certificate by scoring in the top 40%.
More details can be found here:- https://edu.rsc.org/enrichment/uk-chemistry-olympiad”
One student summed it it: “I decided to attempt the Chemistry Olympiad Challenge to push myself and strengthen my general chemistry knowledge while also improving my confidence. I found it very refreshing and interesting to see different styles of questions which covered new aspects of chemistry that I hadn’t studied before. I found it rewarding to take what I have learnt from the A-level syllabus and apply it to a real-world problems. I would definitely recommend it to any chemistry student, it’s very different from the typical questions and provided a good confidence boost.”
“From my point of view -It is a real testament to the quality of both the students and the Chemistry teaching that they have managed this as well as preparing for their final exams. It is real recognition for the hard work and ambition of our staff and students, we are really proud,” commented Caroline Barlow, Headteacher at Heathfield Community College.
