"It was nerve-racking, it was so incredibly close, I don't think we've ever been to one that was that close," she said.
"We came third. It was a really unusual quiz, there was only two points between first and third."
With 71 points, Oakura School narrowly defeated Mangorei School on 70 and Whanganui Intermediate were another point behind them on 69.
Intermediate were the top Whanganui team, with St George's School, St Anne's School and Rutherford Junior High School also entering the 18 team competition.
Ms Duncum said that the scoring was lower than usual and that the top teams usually scored in the eighties and nineties.
However, scoring had also been low in the Hawke's Bay regional competition, which suggested to her that the questions had been quite difficult.
"Our students were disappointed, but they were philosophical because they knew that the questions were trickier than they've ever been before," she said.
"They loved it, they were really pleased that they got third, especially when it was so close."
This time, rounds included categories such as trees, snakes, ships and snow and ice.
Finishing third means that Whanganui Intermediate miss out on the national final in Wellington this year, as only the winning team progresses.
"We had four year 7s at the competition, so now they're very determined that next year they will win and they're already talking about training again," Ms Duncum said.
"We're already looking forward to next year, next year's world final is in Singapore, that would be really nice."
