Challenges & Olympiads

The Senior Mathematics Challenge is aimed at all 16-19-year-olds studying mathematics in the United Kingdom. Students answer 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes under exam conditions. Students scoring over 82 points receive a gold award, 65-81 points receive silver and 50-64 points receive bronze. Around 1000 of the top performing students are invited to take part in the British Mathematical Olympiad, and the very best can represent their country in the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Around 1000 of the top performing students in the UKMT Senior Challenge are invited to take part in the British Mathematical Olympiad.

In the last five years, seven Abbey College Cambridge students have achieved distinction in this prestigious challenge.

In recent years, four Abbey College Cambridge students have made it through the second round of the British Mathematical Olympiad and finished in the top 25 students in the country.

The Intermediate Mathematics Challenge is aimed at our GCSE Mathematics pupils. It involves answering 25 multiple-choice questions in one hour.

Intermediate Mathematics Challenge (since 2013)

The British Physics Olympiad is a competition organised by the Institute of Physics and hosted by the University of Oxford. It is designed to challenge and reward the best physicists in British Schools, and each year over 1,600 students enter the challenge. The competition takes place over 3 rounds with the top performing students being selected for the British team competing at international level. In 2010 an Abbey College Cambridge student was selected for the British team and competed at the International Physics Olympiad.

Here are the results achieved by our students from the last five years.

Since 2006, 12 Abbey College Cambridge students have progressed through to the second round of the British Physics Olympiad (finishing in the top 16 students in the UK). Two Abbey College Cambridge students have made the national final.

Here are the results achieved by our students since 2006.

*Top Gold award introduced in 2011

This competition, organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, is designed to stretch and challenge the UK’s brightest Chemistry students. It is a challenging written test of chemical knowledge that takes place over two rounds. Questions are based on real world chemistry problems and give students an opportunity to develop and showcase some of the skills required for studying Chemistry at university and beyond.

In 2020, an Abbey College Cambridge student participated in the International Chemistry Olympiad, placing in the top 25 students in the world.

Here are the results achieved by our students from the last five years.

The Cambridge Chemistry Challenge is open to our Year 12 A Level students. It is set by a team of experienced teachers and university chemists. The challenge consists of a 90-minute written paper. Students who perform well receive a certificate of achievement, and those who perform best receive an invitation to a residential summer camp at the University of Cambridge.

In 2022, an Abbey College Cambridge student won the prestigious Roentgenium Award, awarded to the top 0.6% of all entries.

Here are the results achieved by our students from the last five years.

Here are the results achieved by our students since 2008.

The British Biology Olympiad consists of two one hour multiple choice papers designed to stimulate and challenge students with an interest in Biology to expand their talents.

Here are the results achieved by our students from the last five years.

Here are the results achieved by our students since 2013.