Top of the Bench

Fuel your students’ curiosity and represent your secondary school at our annual chemistry competition

Top of the Bench is for every secondary school in the UK. And for every 14–16 year old.

With the help of our members, we’ve been organising and running this annual competition for more than 20 years. As a result, hundreds of students have had the chance to see chemistry in a new light, and put practical and teamworking skills into action.

Heats take place from October to January. We’d love your school to join in.

Who can take part?

Top of the Bench is designed to inspire excitement about chemistry in your students – whoever they are, wherever their skills currently lie.

The competition is open to every secondary school in the UK. The only criteria: students must be aged 14–16 to take part, and your team of four should reflect your school’s gender balance.

Country	Team composition
England and Wales	Two students from Year 9 One student from Year 10 One student from Year 11
Scotland	One student from S2 Two students from S3 One student from S4
Northern Ireland	Two students from Year 10 One student from Year 11 One student from Year 12

How does the competition work?

Regional heats

Run from October to January, our regional heats are organised and funded by Royal Society of Chemistry local sections .

The heats are set up to have broad appeal and are fully accessible. Past challenges have included practical tasks, written theory tests, and team missions to prove safety, problem solving and general chemistry knowledge.

Students also get to meet some of our members at the heats, and talk to them about careers in chemistry. The aim of this is to show that pursuing a love of science is possible, whoever you are.

The winning team from each heat will progress to a national final.

The final

The national final is held in the spring each year and takes place at a UK university.

Activities on the day include:

An individual test of factual chemical knowledge
A team practical exercise
An interactive lecture
A prize giving ceremony

The day includes a session for teachers, in which you’ll explore resources and ideas for the classroom with one of our education coordinators.

First prize is awarded to the best overall school performance, with five further teams receiving runners up prizes. The Jacqui Clee Award is given to the student who makes an outstanding individual contribution to the day.

Register your interest

If you are a teacher, please complete our initial registration form. We will then arrange for your RSC local section organiser to get in touch with details of the competition in your area.

Are you a student or parent? Please do not register here – contact your teacher if you wish to enter.

What are local sections?

RSC local sections are run by volunteers, and help to coordinate events and networks in a particular area. There are 35 local sections covering different parts of the UK and Ireland.

Top of the Bench past papers

Use these past papers and answers to practise working through real questions from the Top of the Bench competition.

From last year’s competition

Take a look at what participants got up to during 2023’s final at the University of East London.

Groups of students in white lab coats stand at work benches in a large school laboratory, looking towards the front and at their apparatus

Students stand in a lab as part of the Top of the Bench final activities

Dr Tony Raynham, UEL BSc chemistry course leader, stands in the middle of a group of four students conducting an experiment

The winning team from Winchester College at the Top of the Bench final at the University of East London

Need help?

If you have any questions about the competition or our supporting resources, send us an email.

If there are any barriers to your school being able to take part, such as travel costs, let us know, as we may be able to help.