Royal Society of Chemistry Challenge
The journey to the RSC Downland Regional Final began back in January, when students participated in the initial qualifying round. The team of Jonathan, Tobias, Ishan, and myself not only claimed first place within school, but also achieved a score high enough to secure qualification for the regional final.
On 21 May, the four of us went on to represent the school at the local final, held at Kingston University.
The competition consisted of four rounds, each designed to test a different facet of chemical knowledge. The first was a practical round, in which we were tasked with identifying six unknown substances using water, universal indicator, and hydrochloric acid — a challenging opener which required both precision and composure under pressure. This was followed by perhaps the most intriguing round of the day: a metals round in which we had to examine coins dating back to 1920, tackling some surprisingly nuanced questions on the decimalisation of the shilling and penny. The round concluded with ten different materials and seven potential purposes to match — a task demanding both breadth of knowledge and careful reasoning.
The third round tested memory and recall, as we were given just two to three minutes to absorb information sheets on six different elements, before the sheets were taken away and questions posed on what had been learned. The competition then concluded with a multiple choice round to round off a thoroughly stimulating afternoon.
As part of the competition, we were treated to a tour of Kingston University's impressive facilities. Of particular note was a visit to the medical area — complete with a fully robotic patient — and the chemistry laboratories, housing technology worth over half a billion pounds! It was a genuinely eye-opening reminder of the heights to which a passion for science can lead.
Wilson's School finished 6th out of 8 competing schools. Whilst not the result we had hoped for, our performance reflects the growing experience of the team, and the lessons learned — both scientific and strategic — will no doubt prove invaluable in future competitions. Encouragement is given to younger students to get involved in RSC competitions, and we look forward to future competitions with renewed determination.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Schofield for accompanying us on the day, and to Ms. Rose for her efforts in liaising with the organisation to reschedule the competition so that it did not clash with our RS examinations."
Article written by Shratul (Year 10)
