Well done to our Year 12 Biology students who have successfully completed the UK Intermediate Biology Challenge.
The challenge is open to students in the first year of post-16 education anywhere in the world and consists of a one-hour multiple choice paper taken online. Questions are set on topics that students are likely to have covered at GCSE and in their first year of A’ Level. Some additional ideas are also introduced requiring their problem solving skills and understanding of core principals. Students who take part in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad are encouraged to reference their participation in their further/higher education applications.
Our students received their results and were presented with a certificate in recognition of participation but many of the biologists taking part were also awarded Silver, Bronze or Commended in recognition of their efforts. Rufus Mathew, Leilani Tolliday, Sarah Udall, Olivia Kopania and Ire Adelaja received Bronze awards Aaron Rawlins and Matthew Russell received Silver awards, and Jasmeet Kaur, Grace McClintock, Ella Allan and Josie Allott received Commended awards. This made for an impressive return for Brooke Weston to participating in the UK Intermediate Biology Challenge following several year’s absence where the pandemic prevented this from taking place.
Post-16 Co-Curricular Coordinator, Mrs Hegarty said, ‘Within our Year 12 cohort of Biologists we have a number of aspiring medics and participating in the UK Intermediate Biology Olympiad under timed conditions should help them start to prepare for UCAT and BMAT entrance exams and subsequent MMI’s associated with the application process for studying medicine at university.
Rufus Mathew, an aspiring dentist in year 12 commented on the wide variety of questions he was posed with in the Olympiad and how this was an experience that might prove to be useful as a discussion point in future interviews and to inform additional reading for the subject. Aaron Rawlins, an aspiring medicine student felt the experience of the Olympiad helped make him think in a different way, which is extremely useful preparation for scenarios he may be faced with in a MMI that is commonly used as part of the application process for medicine.’
In addition to participating in the Olympiad, all Year 12 Biologists and Chemists participated in the recent online event, Medicine in Action. The programme for the day included ‘How to Stop a Heart Attack’ focusing on the specialism of cardiology in medicine, through to ‘How Not to Die Yet’ looking at how adopting a healthier lifestyle can help address the current demands that chronic illnesses place on the NHS.