Year 7 pupil William excels in Maths competitions
Posted on: May 24th 2023School News
Congratulations to year 7 pupil William who has received two Maths certificates during his first year in the Senior School.
William received a Merit for the Intermediate Maths Olympiad, a competition which is aimed at pupils in year 11 or below. He also has been awarded Second place with Distinction in the Merseyside Maths Challenge. Both of these are very impressive achievements for a pupil of his age.
William said: “I extend my sincere gratitude to Dr. Graham, Dr. Lawley, and my form tutor, Mrs. Merlo, for their guidance and support. I am also grateful to Ms Allison, Miss Zelena, and Mr. McMillan for their dedication and assistance during the Mentoring sessions. A special thanks goes to my exceptional math teacher, Mr. Pattison, whose encouragement and guidance have continuously inspired me to go above and beyond. My fascination of mathematics has captivated me since a young age, from basic number counting to the complexities of quadratics and calculus. This hunger for knowledge has driven me to actively participate in various mathematical challenges, starting from year 4, in order to constantly stretch my abilities and improve”.
He spoke about the challenges of each competition: “The IMO presented a limited time constraint, allowing for 2 hours to tackle 6 very difficult questions, each requiring thorough working solutions. Although I managed to answer 5 out of the 6 questions, my achieved mark fell slightly below my expectations. Nevertheless, I consider this experience as a valuable learning curve, propelling me to persist in my practice and strive for more fruitful results in the future. Participating in the Olympiad was an immensely enjoyable opportunity that has (hopefully) shaped me into a better mathematician.
“Achieving Second Place with Distinction in the Merseyside Math Challenge 2023 places me among the top three participants. The Merseyside Math Challenge shares similarities with the Olympiad, featuring thought-provoking questions that demand thorough thinking and the requirement of handing in comprehensive working solutions. This year's challenge featured a particularly testing logic question, which required the ordering of the 12 Plagues through logical statements. Engaging and enjoyable, this task provided immense satisfaction upon successfully solving it”.
He concluded by saying: “My aspiration is to one day join the British Mathematical Olympiad team and competing on an international stage. With continued dedication and effort, I hope to make this dream a reality”.
Well done William and we wish you the best of luck in your future Mathematical endeavours!