English Olympiad Exam

Unlike the usual competitive exams, Olympiads aim to evaluate a candidate’s deeper understanding of a particular subject. Rather than making the students mug up a comprehensive range of concepts, Olympiads examine their conceptual knowledge about a specific academic discipline. English Olympiads have a vital role in testing your English proficiency and further provide you with an insight into how much you know about this language. Through this blog, we aim to explore what an English Olympiad Exam entails as well as its central types and why it is crucial to test your proficiency in a commonly spoken language like English.

IEO: Key Highlights

Name of the Olympiad	International English Olympiad
Launched by	Science Olympiad Foundation
Year	2023
Objective	To help students test their English knowledge by competing with other students
Classes	1st to 10th students
Official site	https://softworld.org/ieo

What is an Olympiad?

Conducted for school children, an Olympiad is a special competitive exam organised for different subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, Computer Applications, amongst others. It is designed for young learners and provides them with the time-bound atmosphere of a competitive exam. Further, various Mathematics, Science and English Olympiad exams are conducted by several organisations, be it government or private on different levels such as international, national, state and zone levels. Olympiads can help you test your foundational basics of a particular subject along with evaluating your abilities, like time-management and analytical skills, that are imperative to perform effectively in a competitive exam.

What is an English Olympiad?

An English Olympiad is specifically designed to examine a student’s proficiency in this language. English Olympiads are organised at different levels such as national or international for students at varying education levels, from primary, secondary to higher secondary. Majority of the schools conduct this competitive exam to help students examine their understanding of the English language. English Olympiads centrally comprise of grammar and spelling check questions.

Why you Should Test your English Language Proficiency?

English is a commonly spoken and globally recognised language in the world. It is amongst the official languages of many non-native countries. Even if you are applying for a course abroad, most of the international academic institutions demand English language proficiency scores of the candidates. Let’s take a look at the major reasons why English has become a popular language in the contemporary times:

• English is the most spoken language globally. It is understood and spoken by  1-1.6 billion people in the world.
• It is based on a simple alphabet system which makes it easy for non-native speakers to grasp its key basics.
• When it comes to the content produced online, English is frequently used by digital platforms and that’s why it is also known as the ‘language of the internet’.
• The media industry generally uses English as its medium of communication and a larger number of books, TV shows and movies are subtitled in English, regardless of what their original language is.

Types of English Olympiads

Since the English language holds such great importance, it is necessary for students to have a firm understanding of it. Below is a list of some of the English Olympiads you can appear for in order to test your proficiency in this language:

• OEL: The International Olympiad of English Language (OEL) is a two-level English Olympiad organised by Silver-Zone for classes 1 to 12. This exam is conducted at the international level.
• ICAS: International Competitions and Assessments for School (ICAS) is an English language Olympiad organised by the ICAS/IAIS Macmillan for classes 3 to 12 at an international level.
• UIEO: Unified International English Olympiad (UIEO) is an international-level English language Olympiad for classes 2 to 10. This exam is organised by the Unified Council and is divided into a set of two examinations.
• IEO-Edu Heal: International English Olympiad-EduHeal is conducted by the EduHeal Foundation for classes 1 to 12 in schools across the globe.
• EO: English Olympiad (EO) is a national level exam organised for classes 1 to 12.
• ISTSE: Indian School Talent Search Exam (ISTSE) is an English language Olympiad conducted nationally for classes 1 to 10.
• ASSET-English: Assessment of Scholastic Skills Through Educational Training (ASSET) is a national-level olympiad test conducted by Education Initiatives in Indian schools for classes 3 to 10.
• NEITO: National English Indian Talent Olympiad (NEITO) organised by the Indian Talent Olympiad for the classes 1 to 10 at the national level. It comprises of two levels and is conducted in schools across the country every year.

Important Dates

The IEO 2023 important dates will be notified soon:

Event Dates
Application Form To be Notified Later
Exam Date To be Notified Later

Awards and Rewards from International English Olympiad

At both the international and zonal levels, the top students will receive the honours. Following are details on the number of awards, award criteria, and individual awards:

Awards for Class 1 and 2

Level 2

Rank	Awards	Number of awards
1st	INR 50000 each + gold medal + certificate of outstanding performance	12
2nd	INR 25000 each + silver medal + certificate of outstanding performance	12
3rd	INR 10000 each + bronze metal + certificate of outstanding performance	12

Award for Class 1st and 2nd

Zonal level

Level 2

Rank	Awards	Number of awards
1st	INR 5000 each + gold medal + certificate of zonal excellence	240
2nd	INR 2500 each + silver medal + certificate of zonal excellence	240
3rd	INR 1000 each + bronze medal + certificate of zonal excellence	1680
4th to 10th	Gifts worth INR 1000 + medal of distinction + certificate of distinction + certificate of zonal excellence	3600
11th to 20th	Certificate of zonal excellence + medal of distinction + certificate of distinction	All
26th and above	Merit certificate

Award for level 1 Performance

Zonal Level

Rank	Awards	Number of awards
1 to 25	Medal of distinction + certificate of distinction	240
26 and above	Participation certificate	All

Eligibility Criteria For Exam Level 1

There are no prerequisites for the Level 1 exam because students in grades 1 through 12 are eligible to take it. Additionally, there are no minimum score requirements, which allows a lot of students to take the level 1 exam. All domestic and international students enrolled in grades first through twelfth are eligible.

Eligibility Criteria For Exam Level 2

Successful level 1 exam takers are shortlisted to participate in level 2 exams. Below are the requirements for level 2 exam eligibility:

• Top 5% of pupils who took the level 1 exam from each class.
• Holders of the top 25 zone-and class-rank positions.
• Top students from each participating school in each class where at least 10 students take the exam and receive the minimum score of 50%.
• Top-ranking participant in a section-by-section registration.

Exam Format

The exam is divided into two levels, with level 2 being open to top level 1 performers. The exam is structured as follows:

Level 1

• Level 1 is organized in the respective schools of the students. The exam is conducted during school hours
• The duration of the exam is 60 minutes
• The exam is in the form of multiple-choice questions (objective-type). There are 35 questions for students of classes 1 to 4 and 50 questions for classes 5 to 12 students
• There are 4 sections in the question paper: Word and Structure knowledge (Section 1), Reading (Section 2), Spoken & Written Expression (Section 3), Achievers Section (Section 4)
• There are separate question papers for each class and the medium of the exam is English
• The exam papers are designed from CBSE, ICSE/ISC, and State Board syllabus

Level 2

Excellent level 1 test performers are eligible to take level 2 exams. The level 2 exams were taken by students in grades three through twelve. Students that fit the following criteria can take level 2 exams:

• Top 5% applicants in each class for the Level 1 test
• Level 1’s top 25 rank holders by class and zone
• If at least 10 students take the test and receive the required 50% of the marks, they are qualified to be the class winner.

Registration Process For International English Olympiad 2023

The students took the measures outlined below because they were eager to compete in the international English Olympiad:

• The Science Olympiad Foundation must first receive the schools’ registration information. The prospectus with the registration form will be sent to the registered School. These registration forms are available to students from their individual schools.
• You can contact the Science Olympiad Foundation to get a prospectus for schools that aren’t registered. School can get in touch with SOF by phone or email.
• Students who want to compete in the International English Olympiad can fill out the registration form with all the necessary information and send it to the appropriate schools.
• After then, the school must deliver the properly completed registration form to the SOF prior to the deadline.

Registration Fee

There is a registration cost that applicants must pay, and kid fees will be paid as follows:

• The registration fee for schools in India is INR 125 per student.
• A $9 per student registration fee is required for international schools.

Preparation Tips for the IEO Exam

• It is essential that you comprehend the exam format and syllabus before starting your International English Olympiad preparation. You should be fully conversant with the IEO syllabus for this.
• Get your study materials ready in advance. Spending time hunting for study resources at the last minute is a waste of time.
• It is better to get started early by making a timetable and following it.
• Practice a range of questions based on the IEO papers from the previous year. Take practice tests as well, focusing on your weak points.

FAQs

Hence, English Olympiads play an imperative role in helping school students grasp the time-bound environment of a competitive exam while also evaluating their proficiency in a popularly spoken language like English. If you are planning to appear for a competitive exam and don’t know where to start, our Leverage Edu experts are here to guide throughout the preparation process by helping you master every section and successfully cracking the test to get into your dream school.