Top
Skip to Content
LOGO(small) - Queen's University Belfast
  • Our facebook
  • Our x-twitter
  • Our linkedin
  • Our youtube
LOGO(large) - Queen's University Belfast

School of

Biological Sciences

  • Home
  • Study
    • Undergraduate Courses
    • Postgraduate Taught Courses
    • Fieldwork Opportunities
    • Scholarships and Awards
    • Royal Society of Biology
    • Institute of Food Science & Technology
  • Research
    • Find a PhD Supervisor
    • PhD Research
    • Research Impact
    • Research Culture
    • Research Environment
    • Recent Research Outputs
    • Postgraduate Research
  • International
  • Employability
    • Business Engagement
    • Employer Testimonials
    • Careers & Placements by Sector
    • Student Experiences
    • Alumni Profiles
    • News, Programmes and Events
  • About
    • Facilities
    • Nursing Mothers and Parents’ room
    • Athena SWAN
    • Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF)
    • Applying for Honorary and Visiting Titles
  • People
    • Key Contacts
    • School Executive Board
    • Academic Staff
    • Professional Services Staff
    • Technical Staff
    • Research Staff
    • Honorary Staff
  • News
  • Events
  • Home
  • Study
    • Undergraduate Courses
    • Postgraduate Taught Courses
    • Fieldwork Opportunities
    • Scholarships and Awards
    • Royal Society of Biology
    • Institute of Food Science & Technology
  • Research
    • Find a PhD Supervisor
    • PhD Research
    • Research Impact
    • Research Culture
    • Research Environment
    • Recent Research Outputs
    • Postgraduate Research
  • International
  • Employability
    • Business Engagement
    • Employer Testimonials
    • Careers & Placements by Sector
    • Student Experiences
    • Alumni Profiles
    • News, Programmes and Events
  • About
    • Facilities
    • Nursing Mothers and Parents’ room
    • Athena SWAN
    • Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF)
    • Applying for Honorary and Visiting Titles
  • People
    • Key Contacts
    • School Executive Board
    • Academic Staff
    • Professional Services Staff
    • Technical Staff
    • Research Staff
    • Honorary Staff
  • News
  • Events
  • Our facebook
  • Our x-twitter
  • Our linkedin
In This Section
  • Examples
  • Contacts
  • Guidelines
  • Practical Tips
  • Questions 2011
  • Questions 2013

  • Home
  • School of Biological Sciences
  • School of Biological Sciences Bioscience Olympiad
  • Practical Tips

Practical Tips

Practical Tips

 

The main feature of questions in the Bioscience Olympiad is that they do not require an exact or single answer, which can be found in textbooks such as “Diplodocus was the biggest dinosaur ever.” or “This reaction requires 3 molecules of glucose”. Quite the opposite: several ideas can be suggested for an explanation of biological processes or interpretation of experimental data and each idea is feasible and may be correct.

 

For example the answer to the question “Why is the plant called Virgultum found only near mushrooms?” implies answers such as:

 

  1. This plant requires chemicals produced by the mushrooms
  2. Mushrooms usually grow in damp areas where conditions are optimal for germination of Virgultum seeds
  3. Seeds of that plant are distributed by insects that live in mushrooms

 

This list can be continued further. Therefore our questions do not require simple playback of already known facts, but the ability to think, find various rational explanations and do not limit the answers to a single “right” one. We write our questions to show relationships; functioning of organs and biological systems; search for negative or positive effects; classification and grading, as well as plan of experimental design and interpretation of the subsequent results. It is possible that there is no “correct” answer for a question or even that the answer is not yet known.

 

The final marking of answers is organised in a way that only one person (group) is responsible for marking a question. Usually we would come up with three or four model answers, while additional ones would come up from the teams’ responses. Do not limit yourself to the most obvious answers, go beyond that. There are no “minus points” for incorrect or non-relevant ideas.

 

It would be good to corroborate your hypothesis/idea with examples from nature, although it requires some basic biological knowledge provided in school. Any additional information would be included within the question (may be not in explicit way) or a reference will be given to a particular source.

 

Back to main page


School of Biological Sciences Bioscience Olympiad
  • School of Biological Sciences Bioscience Olympiad
  • Examples
  • Contacts
  • Guidelines
  • Practical Tips
  • Questions 2011
  • Questions 2013
Queen's University Belfast - Logo (small)
Contact Us

School of Biological Sciences

Queen's University Belfast
School of Biological Sciences
19 Chlorine Gardens
Belfast BT9 5DL
Northern Ireland

GET DIRECTIONS

  • Phone: +44 (0)28 9097 5787
  • Email: sbsigfsoffice@qub.ac.uk 

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Study
  • Research
  • People
© Queen's University Belfast 2023
Privacy and cookies
Website accessibility
Freedom of information
Modern slavery statement
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Manage cookies