Success in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge
A group of St Benedict's Lower Sixth students took part in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge 2021 after their end of year examinations in June. They performed remarkably well after their busy schedule and a challenging academic year.
A Gold certificate was awarded to Niall W, and Copper certificates were awarded to: Jin Tao W, Lucas H, Felix M and Roque D.
This competition aims to stretch and challenge students interested in chemistry and provides an excellent experience for anyone considering taking their studies further. Set by an experienced team of teachers and university chemists, it is designed to be accessible to Lower Sixth students but takes them significantly beyond the syllabus and encourages them to think about science in the way they would at university. It is endorsed and sponsored by St Catharine’s College at the University of Cambridge.
The paper itself is based on the core of the chemistry A Level specifications and lasts 1.5 hours. It is composed of a series of structured questions designed to stretch able students by making them apply the principles they have learnt to new and often more complex situations than they would meet in their A Level course. Thus, in order to score marks, it is essential to have a very sound base of knowledge and understanding, but also to have the ability to think and reason - often "outside the box" - at a high level.