Four students from Cornwall have shown that their second tongues are now second nature after coming out tops in the national ‘Olympics’ of foreign languages.

Showing that a language learnt is a door opened, Gold, silver and bronze awards were won by the Truro and Penwith College students in the national Linguistics Olympiad; a competition with such a high level of difficulty that only a small number of schools and colleges enter.

The challenge itself consisted of a test that the students had to complete within two days, with questions that test their knowledge of language, grammar and syntax as well as logic.

The students were absolutely thrilled to receive awards as only 15% of students in the country received bronze and only 5% achieved gold.

Gabriel Sturtridge, who studies Spanish, German and Russian, said of winning Gold: “I was surprised but very pleased. I did a lot of practice each week but I have a passion for languages anyway and knew that I liked linguistics so it was good fun.”

Jess Hudson, who won a bronze award and studies French and Spanish, echoed Gabriel’s enthusiasm for the challenge, saying: “It was really challenging but very rewarding. I’m glad that I did it, even though linguistics isn’t something that I’ve done before. It’s amazing that you can figure out things logically in a language that you’ve never even seen before. I will definitely try to do it again next year if I get time.”

Antonio Gomariz-Perez, Deputy Team Leader for Languages at the College, said of the event: “The students had to transcribe the data and look for patterns. It really does test the intelligence and grammar skills of a student. The competition is entered by only the top centres in the country and each institution will only enter their very best students. The competition is recognised by Cambridge and Oxford University so it’s a really good addition to their personal statements and CV’s.”