Hans Woyda Round 1 vs NHEHS

We had a strong team, buoyed by the leadership of the captain of school no less, but I couldn’t help feel my confidence waver when a small slip in one of the first four questions gave NHEHS the lead at the beginning of the match. However, a mistake on their part in the next four questions allowed us to claw back some marks, leaving both teams neck and neck at the end of the starter section. This pattern repeated itself exactly in the geometry section; some inscribed squares got the better of us in the first two questions which gave NHEHS a temporary lead, but some painted cubes got the better of NHEHS in the next two which brought us back to level pegging.

At this stage I was concerned that we were in for another extremely close match, and I could already feel my heart rate starting to rise in anticipation of a nail-biting finish. Fortunately, my blood pressure was eased slightly by the mental arithmetic and probability section, where a stolen mark from the square root of a mixed fraction put us 3 points ahead. Up next was a team question on Lagrange’s four-square theorem, and at this point SPS really started to shine, getting an astonishing 10 points to NHEHS’ 4 and increasing our lead considerably. A flawless set of calculator questions put us even further ahead, and we had a comfortable lead going into the last two sections.

A gap of 13 points is impressive indeed, but history has taught me never to count my chickens before they’ve answered all of their maths questions correctly, and greater leads have certainly been eroded in the past. The algebra and calculus section concerned an interesting mean function, and some slightly mean questions meant that both teams ended up conceding points to each other. NHEHS could still catch up at the beginning of the race section, but a tough set of questions led to low scores on both sides and robbed them of the opportunity to close the gap. At the end of the match the SPS team had delivered a comprehensive victory, with a final score of 55 – 39.

- Mr Cullen-Hewitt

The 16+ Mathematics Entry Exam for St Paul’s School

The mathematics entrance exam at 16+ is taken in November for entry to study A Levels in the following September. The content of the exam is the Edexcel IGCSE syllabus but does not include the topics of arithmetic series and differentiation. The emphasis is on number and algebra skills. The test for entry in September 2026 onwards will be non-calculator. When you apply to St Paul’s, we need to know whether you intend to take single mathematics A Level or further mathematics A Level. Pupils who do well on the entrance papers across all their chosen subjects are invited for interview. Interviews are taken by subject specialists at St Paul’s School and last 20-30 mins. The aims of the interview are to: gauge your ability to apply the GCSE mathematics skills in unfamiliar questions. to understand your reasons for choosing the subject. to investigate the additional problem-solving skills you have developed through classes and your independent studies. We realise that not ...

Problem Solving with Mykhailo

The maths society had the pleasure of welcoming one of our own, Mykhailo who presented a captivating talk on problem solving in mathematics. He began by telling us of his journey through mathematics, starting in Ukraine at the humble age of 7, where he agreed to compete in his first Olympiad in return for some Lego - a worthy reward. By the age of 11, however, he began to lose interest until a remarkable geometry teacher reignited his passion. From that point on, he was completely hooked on geometry, so much so that his Olympiad scores r eflected his singular focus: 0/7, 0/7, 0/7, and finally, 7/7, as he excelled in geometry alone. He, therefore, decided that it would be best for his progress if he stopped doing geometry altogether, focusing instead on the other 3 areas of math: Algebra, Arithmetic, and Number theory. He led us through a series of questions, seemingly impossible at the face of it but very manageable after explanation. Among the problems were a complex simultaneou...

Hans Woyda Final vs King's College School Wimbledon

Yesterday, six months after kicking off the 2024-25 Hans Woyda season with our annual friendly against SPGS, we were at long last on our way to the final. There was a palpable tension around the school site and an unmistakable atmosphere of excitement and anticipation, making it abundantly clear that the entire school had their minds on that afternoon’s Mathematics fixture. As I set off for the match with Yidong (4 th ), Shyamak (6 th ), Adavya (L8 th ), and Eason (U8 th ), accompanied by Dr Stoyanov for moral support and intimidation, pupils and staff had even gathered by the towpath to wish them well; unfortunately, they all seemed to be facing the wrong direction, but it was touching nevertheless. We made our way to the City of London School (which offered its services as neutral territory for the final), discussing tactics on the tube and working through a set of warm-up questions. We met the King’s College School Wimbledon side in the lobby as we arrived, and based on previou...

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