Year 11 Science ‘Big Quiz’
On Thursday 11 September, 12 students from Year 11 had the joy of visiting Birmingham University and taking part in the Science ‘Big Quiz’, which was organised as part of the British Science Festival. As we excitedly filled up the school mini-bus, a few of us joked about coming in the top 3 and winning prizes, which, given the final outcome, turned out to be rather prescient. Once grouped into 3 teams, we were escorted to our seats at an extremely small desk, and sitting at it became the source of tremendous discomfort a few hours later.
The quiz comprised of four parts: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Biology. Across the three groups, Maths and Chemistry were found to be the easiest. On the other hand, the Physics section contained questions that were far more difficult to answer. Also, the Biology section offered up bizarre questions based primarily around animals that I and my fellow class mates felt had little to do with Biology. After the quiz, all the pupils enjoyed lunch and took a well-deserved break! Then the results were revealed.
The host teased us all by explaining the 2nd and 3rd places were tied … and one of our teams was involved. The four members (being Ayyan, Adyll, Ricky and Isaac) stepped up to answer the tie breaker. Thanks to my team mates we triumphed, cementing ourselves victoriously into second position. The four of us received a medal and a science kit. Equally as important, the school received a glass trophy which I proudly held aloft for all to view. Throughout the rest of the day Mr Bedi beamed with delight and, being a Chemistry teacher, was greatly impressed when we informed him we’d achieved an immaculate 100% on the Chemistry section. We were then guided to a mind-boggling presentation on how Science can support ‘Super powers’. After that, we talked to staff and students at the University regarding information on various jobs that some of us aspire to in the future.
All in all, it was a tremendous day out and a fantastically educational trip. Finally, I would like to thank Mr Bedi for inviting me to take part in the quiz.
Ayyan Sattar
