Boys studying Modern Languages are celebrating after a record year in the UK Linguistics Olympiad (UKLO). Eight Sixth Form boys collectively scooped a haul of one gold, two silver and five bronze medals in the recent national competition.
The UKLO is renowned for the difficulty of its questions and its stringent grade boundaries – to win gold, students must fall within the top 5% of all entries, the next 10% for silver and the next 20% for bronze. This year’s Olympiad comprised of 1,650 candidates from around the world, and posed questions on languages ranging from Idalion to Yukaghir.
Our 2020 linguistic Olympians are:
| Oscar Hudson | Gold |
| Alfie Willcocks | Silver |
| Nikolai Sorokin | Silver |
| Alex Aellen | Bronze |
| Charlie Thompson | Bronze |
| David Adeyemi | Bronze |
| Oscar Hill | Bronze |
| Philip Leu | Bronze |
Michael Dawson, Teacher of Modern Languages, said, “As far as I am aware, this is a record year for Bedford School; one gold, two silvers and five bronze awards is an excellent achievement. Oscar Hudson deserves a special mention after having been awarded gold for three years in a row. He leaves Bedford School this year as the school’s most decorated Linguistics Olympian!”