A former student of Whitstone School in Shepton Mallet has been successful in a competition run by the Royal Society of Biology, designed to test students' wider knowledge of the subject.

Amy Smith, of Shepton Mallet, was one of the Year 2 A-level students at Strode College in Street who achieved top results in the British Biology Olympiad earlier in the year and they have just received their certificates.

The Biology Olympiad is run by the Royal Society of Biology and is aimed at students in post-16 education who want to test and stretch their understanding of the biosciences.

Students take two online multiple-choice exams and those who achieve the top scores can be awarded Commended, Highly Commended, Bronze, Silver or Gold.

Silver award winners were:

· Amy Smith from Shepton Mallet (formerly of Whitstone School)

· Thomas Hedworth from Street (formerly of Crispin School)

· Thomas Hewitt from West Pennard (formerly of Millfield School)

· Rebecca Vining from Radstock

Bronze award winners were:

Uttam Magar, from Yeovil (formerly of Buckler's Mead Academy) and Isobel Sargeant, from Langport (formerly of Huish Episcopi Academy).

Four other Strode students who entered all received Highly Commended awards.

Strode's Year 1 students were also able to participate in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad online, which took place in the first week of June despite the lockdown, and was invigilated by parents at home.

Questions were set on topics that students will have likely covered at GCSE and in their first year of A-level.

Megan Lee achieved a Gold award, with Alphi Baby and Minnie Mackay being awarded Bronze. Six further Strode College students were also Highly Commended, with four students being Commended.

Rosie Story, lecturer in biology, said: "We are pleased that the Biology Olympiad competitions were still able to take place this year and that many Strode biology students have been recognised for their comprehensive knowledge of the subject above and beyond the requirements of their A-level.

"We wish the A2 students continued success with their future studies and careers."