Two students from Taunton have achieved gold in the 2025 Biology Challenge placing them in the top 5% nationally.

Elena and Lucie, both in Year 9 at Taunton School, achieved this accolade out of 42,000 students.

The Biology Challenge is an annual nationwide competition for 13-15-year-olds and this year took place between 28th April and 7th May.

Caro Wedgwood, Head of Biology at Taunton School, said: “It is always wonderful to see our students show such breadth, depth and enthusiasm for Biology and the natural world, and even more so when they do it on a much bigger stage than their lessons.

“We had no doubt that Elena and Lucie would perform well as they have a genuine interest in the subject and regularly bring unique ideas and facts to class. We hope that they are as proud of their achievement as we are!”

Students across the country took part in the challenge by completing two papers under exam conditions. Although each paper is set around the curriculum, the highest achievers are those that demonstrate knowledge beyond the classroom that has been acquired through their own reading, watching natural history programmes, paying attention to the news, and having a general understanding of flora and fauna.

In order to gain their gold certificates, Elena and Lucie both achieved results of over 90%.

Biology is a popular subject at Taunton School and is offered at GCSE and A-Level and as part of the International Baccalaureate. It is also a focus of the School’s academic scholarship programme in which applications are now open for 2027 entry into Year 7, Year 9, and Year 12 – visit https://www.tauntonschool.co.uk/explore/admissions/scholarships-assisted-places/ to find out more.