World Scholars Cup (WSC) Global Round Qatar 2023
Event Report
Aitchison College Science Society sent a three-member delegation to the World Scholars Cup Global Round Qatar (WSC Qatar). Dr. Muhammad Kamran, Deputy Headmaster of the Senior School, was the accompanying chaperone and adjudicator. The team consisted of the following students.
- Amaan Yasser Effendi
- Muhammad Abdullah Qaisar
- Mohammad Allawal Jamal
WSC is an international Science and General Knowledge competition at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) in Doha from the 22nd to the 27th of June, 2023. The competition had teams participating from over 26 different countries with nearly 2000 delegates. The format of the Competition consisted of 4 categories across 6 different subject areas, namely, Social Studies, Science, History, Literature, Art, and other regions. The theme for the 2023 Global Round was Reconstructing the Past. Teams participated in 4 different categories:
- The Debate Tournament: an academic debating-style tournament focused on clear argumentations and presentation of ideas on the related subject fields.
- The Scholars Bowl: A team buzzer Round consisting of MCQs where all participating teams competed.
- The Scholar’s Challenge: An individual MCQ and General Knowledge Quiz that assessed each participant.
- The Collaborative Writing Challenge: A Team-Based Essay Writing Challenge.
WSC brings together the best from across the globe, with schools and national teams participating from Asia, Europe, Oceania, North and South America, and Africa. National teams from multiple nations, such as India, China, and Nigeria, attended the competition. High schools worldwide also participated, including Mayo College from India, Holyport College from the United Kingdom, Bahrain International School from Bahrain, and other renowned institutions from the United States, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
The Collaborative Writing Competition saw all teams writing three academic essays within a restricted time limit of 1 hour on unseen scientific topics. The team managed to perform exceptionally, ranking 4th across 1800 other submissions. Individually, Muhammad Abdullah Qaisar ranked 14th, Mohammad Allawal Jamal ranked 29th, and Amaan Yasser Effendi ranked 81st. They secured 6 gold medals and a trophy in the category.
The team saw much success in the Debating Category. They managed to remain undefeated, winning all their rounds throughout the course of the tournament. They won against teams from Mayo College India, Qatar International School, and the Uzbekistan National Team. The team secured a gold ranking in the category, 5 golds, and a silver medal based on individual and group performances.
The Scholars Challenge was an individual Science and General Knowledge MCQ competition where the team secured a gold ranking. Amaan Yasser Effendi achieved 5 gold medals out of 6 categories, ranking 11th among all participants. Mohammad Allawal Jamal secured a silver medal in the category.
The Scholars Bowl saw all teams compete at one stage in a buzzer round where they had to answer questions from all 6 subject areas. The team managed to secure a silver ranking in this category.
Individually Amaan Yasser Effendi ranked 17th overall, receiving a gold medal and a trophy. Mohammad Allawal Jamal and Mohammad Abdullah Qaiser secured silver medals in the rankings.
Overall the team secured a gold ranking and was one of the 50 out of the 6000 teams that took part globally, which are invited to the Tournament of Champions at Yale University to be held in November. They were the first team to qualify for the Tournament of Champions at their first Global Round. Additionally, this was the first time Aitchison College participated in the WSC Regionals and Global Rounds.
Our team learned much from interacting with the gracious hosts and the competing delegations. Debating and communicating with other cultures helped students understand new perspectives. The Aitchison College Science Society proudly reports that we have cemented our school’s footprint on the international science and general knowledge circuit. We hope to keep this momentum up.
Regards,
Dr. Muhammad Kamran,
Staff Advisor Science Society.
