Jorja Beard’s love of problem solving landed her a top ranking mark in a primary school mathematics competition.
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She was very excited when she was told she had received a high distinction (HD) for her results on the regional NSW schools mathematics test she had taken along with her classmates, on Wednesday, August 24.
Out of the 9534 other year five students across 337 schools taking the same test, Jorja was among the few who were awarded a HD.
What was even more exciting was the fact that she found herself ranked number 30 in the Hunter Region for the 2016 Newcastle Permanent Primary Mathematics Competition.
The test is taken annually by year five and year six students across regional schools, including Hunter Region Independent Schools, NSW Government and Education schools and the Catholic Schools Office of Maitland-Newcastle.
As it was the first time the St Joseph’s Primary School student had taken the test, she is pretty happy with her result.
“It was pretty cool,” she said.
Out of the 35 questions, Jorja felt the first few weren’t that hard but the end ones were a little more complicated.
She found out about her result while away on a week long excursion in Sydney at the end of term three and had to tell her Mum and Dad the news over the phone.
Although she doesn’t know yet what she wants to be when she grows up, her favourite subjects are maths and drama.
“I like problem solving; having to work out a problem,” she said.
“It’s like having a treasure hunt where you have to work out all the clues to find the answer.”
It’s like having a treasure hunt where you have to work out all the clues to find the answer.
- Jorja Beard
This year was record breaking with the largest number students taking the test since the inception of the competition in 1981.
The 35-question paper is sat without the use of calculators, rulers or other mathematical instruments over a 45 minute period, challenging the students’ problem solving skills.
The top performing students in each region are invited to attend an awards presentation to celebrate their achievements with family and fellow peers.