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Arkwright Scholarships 2015

ruudiwolf

Is anyone applying for an Arkwright scholarship this year?

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Reply 1

Chlorophile

Original post by ruudiwolf

Is anyone applying for an Arkwright scholarship this year?

I'm taking you're applying? Best of luck, I was in your position two years ago :smile:

Reply 2

Dave1999

Yes I am. I just submitted the application form for endorsement from my teacher. Chlorophile, do you have any advice?

Reply 3

Chlorophile

Original post by Dave1999

Yes I am. I just submitted the application form for endorsement from my teacher. Chlorophile, do you have any advice?

Last year when Arkwright was more fresh in my memory, I wrote up quite a lot of advice here which is probably still relevant. Basically, Section 1 of the exam is all about being creative and showing off problem-solving skills. Section 2 is all about coming up with a very well thought out and thorough solution to a problem.

Ah ok thankyou

Chlorophile, if I were to learn 3 pulley systems and 3 gear systems do you think this would be enough for the exam? Thank you for the pulley/gear link as it has been very helpful.

Reply 6

ruudiwolf

Original post by Chlorophile

The aptitude paper is the part I'm most worried about, especially as I thought not taking DT for GCSE (although I did enjoy it in KS3) would put me at a disadvantage, so thanks for the advice :smile:

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Reply 7

Chlorophile

Original post by ruudiwolf

The aptitude paper is the part I'm most worried about, especially as I thought not taking DT for GCSE (although I did enjoy it in KS3) would put me at a disadvantage, so thanks for the advice :smile:

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Good luck. As with all exams, the key is not to stress. I wasted about 20 minutes floundering at the start of my exam - do not do this! Also, don't feel that you have to start with section 1. I couldn't think of any creative ideas in the first section so I did section 2 first.

Reply 8

Chlorophile

Original post by Dave1999

Chlorophile, if I were to learn 3 pulley systems and 3 gear systems do you think this would be enough for the exam? Thank you for the pulley/gear link as it has been very helpful.

I think the most important thing is to learn basic materials and adhesives to create a little toolbox (not a massive one, just a few) that you can draw from to make your Section 2 answer sound better. I think gear systems are probably more important, don't go overkill or anything, but do make sure you understand how gears work (gear chains in particular).

Reply 9

Dave1999

Thanks. When you say gear chains do you mean as in what would be on a bicycle?

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 10

Chlorophile

Original post by Dave1999

Thanks. When you say gear chains do you mean as in what would be on a bicycle?

That's one example, yeah (but to be clear, gear chains refer to a chain of gears that add up to magnify or reduce the rotational speed of an input wheel, NOT the physical chain that connects gears). They're commonly used in things like generators to change the speed of rotation.