News, Pre-GCSE Inspire

Year 10 Class 3: Competition results

Posted by St John's College Access on

We’re delighted to announce the winners of this year’s third set of Pre-GCSE Inspire competitions! In Class 3, Evolution in science and technology, we turned to a new subject: why does evolution matter? “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” But what does such a sweeping claim mean, and how can we use the principles of evolution to understand other kinds of change? In this class we began by looking at Darwinian evolution, and then turned to artificial intelligence. Year 10 pupils on the course had some really interesting insights into these subjects, and you can read some of their essays below!

Congratulations to the winners of Class 3 competitions:

  • Adchaya
  • Marina
  • Sharanjit

Each of you have won an Amazon voucher. This will be sent to the email address you provided in your competition cover sheet; please get in touch with us at inspire@sjc.ox.ac.uk if you haven’t received yours by the end of the week.

Competition 5: The fossil record

Palaeontologists believe that only about 1% of all the animals that ever lived have been found as fossils. How do they come up with this figure? Think about reasons why finding a fossil of a particular ancient species is so unlikely. You can also use the further reading suggestions in Dr Kemp’s article to help you develop your answer. Your answer should be 300 words or less.

First place: Adchaya, Ealing

Second place: Marina, Ealing

Finalists:

  • Khatima, Ealing
  • Sharanjit, Ealing
  • Hemdeep, Ealing

Competition 6: Artificial intelligence

What could be the dangers and benefits of building an artificial general intelligence? How might such a system react if you want to unplug it? Write a 300-word essay in which you consider these questions.

First place: Adchaya, Ealing

Second place: Sharanjit, Ealing

Finalists:

  • Janhvi, Harrow
  • Sabirah, Ealing
  • Nashat, Ealing
  • Thomas, Ealing

Remember: the deadline for Class 4’s competitions is 5pm Wednesday, 2 December. In this class, we are turning to evolution in language and music, and we are looking forward to seeing some more excellent work in response to this class’s set of competitions!