Computer Science students took part in the 2017 Bebras challenge from Monday 6th to Friday 10th November. The international competition, which spans 40 countries, debuted in the UK in 2013 and is open to all students aged 6-18. It promotes the importance of computational thinking and problem solving skills in a wider world context.
The students employed a variety of strategies in solving up to 18 challenges in the allocated time. Cole S found it a “frustrating and equally fun problem-solving experience” which “will change the way I look at problems in future and how I manage my time”. Yael S thought it “Fun and a bit random. It was challenging in that you had to find the quickest and most logical solution to each problem. It was useful to work as a team during the practice problems and collaborate on our solutions so that we weren’t thrown in at the deep end during the real challenge. It was definitely a new experience.”
Ian Simpson (Director of IT Systems and Computer Science) reinforced the importance of exposure to these types of events. “The Bebras challenge develops student resilience, the ability to think creatively and encourages the application of knowledge from across a variety of subject areas. These are skills which will serve our students well when applying for university places or standing out to potential employers at interview in the future. Many thanks to all who took part.”
Top achieving students from across the UK will be invited to take part in a final round and celebration event in early 2018. This will take place at Hertford College and the Computer labs at Oxford University.
Parents are invited to attempt a selection of problems from previous year’s challenges here.
