Competition winning languages students are lost for words

STUDENTS proved to be speaking the right language after securing top places in a contest attracting more than 300,000 contestants worldwide.

Fifty-six students from Northallerton School and Sixth Form College took part in a language project answering thousands of questions in a range of tongues.

In the 51-100 student category they took first place in England in the German section and second in French after working on the on-line quiz as early as 6am and as late as 11pm.

Competitors had to answer three questions in their chosen language to score a single point. In order to secure gold they needed to earn 3,000 points, with 2,000 for silver, 1,000 for bronze and 500 for a credit.

Northallerton School and Sixth Form College students secured four golds, two silvers, seven bronzes and eight credits, results that placed them in the top two per cent in the country. The pupils who achieved gold are in the top two per cent of competitors globally.

Language Perfect operates worldwide out of New Zealand and is designed to improve language skills in a fun way. Thousands of schools took part as more than 300,000 vied for honours.

Languages teacher Elaine Hunt said: “The students have done brilliantly well and every time I checked someone was active on-line, whether that was at six in the morning or 11 at night.

“They really have put hundreds of extra hours into the contest as they really enjoyed the sense of competition it engenders. They were seriously motivated and had great fun.”