Eurasian Spelling Bee

RULES & REGULATIONS

Dates and Venue

The Competition will be run in three rounds: preliminary round, semifinal round and final round.

Preliminary round (National Level):
15 to 17 April 2022
Venue: At school or Online

Semifinal round (International Level):
May 2022
Venue: Online

Final round (International Level):
25 to 26 July 2022
Location: Gdansk, Poland

Candidate Registration and Fees

To register, please click the Register button on this page to register.

You can also contact 011-6550 5400 (call or Whatsapp acceptable) or email ckgan@english.edu.my if you need to understand more.

The registration deadline is 7 April 2022. No applications will be accepted after the deadline.

The registration fee is RM60 (Ringgit Malaysia Sixty only) per student. There is no additional fee if they advance to the semifinal or final rounds.

Competition Category

Students from Public (government-funded), Private and International Schools are allowed to enroll according to their school year. Please note the following levels according their school year on April 2022.

Students from Public/Private schools where they study English as a second/foreign language.
Primary 1 & 2 will join Bee Level 1
Primary 3 will join Bee Level 2
Primary 4 will join Bee Level 3
Primary 5 will join Bee Level 4
Primary 6 will join Bee Level 5
Secondary 1 will join Bee Level 6
Secondary 2 will join Bee Level 7
Secondary 3 will join Bee Level 8
Secondary 4 will join Bee Level 9
Secondary 5/form 6 will join Bee Level 10

Students from International/Private schools where they study English as a First language.
Year 1 & 2 will join Bee Level 2
Year 3 will join Bee Level 3
Year 4 will join Bee Level 4
Year 5 will join Bee Level 5
Year 6 will join Bee Level 6
Year 7 will join Bee Level 7
Year 8 will join Bee Level 8
Year 9 will join Bee Level 9
Year 10 will join Bee Level 10

The students of lower grade can compete at higher level if they feel prepared for the level.

Summary of the Competition Rounds

There are 3 competition rounds. Students will start with the Preliminary round (national level). Students will compete among Malaysian students to qualify for the semifinal round. The tests for the preliminary round will consist of: Writing test, Listening test, and Brainstorm test.

The top 15% from the country will be invited to the semifinal round. The tests for the semifinal round will consist of: Writing test, Listening test, and Oral test (Spelling).

A minimum of 8 students from each level from the semifinal round will be invited to the final round. The tests for the Final round will consist of: Writing test, Listening test, and Oral test (Spelling).

The number of semi-finalists and finalists might increase depending on the number of participants or equal points. The finalists will be chosen according to the scores received in the semi-final round. Should a country does not have any candidate qualified for the final round, ESB organisation will invite 2 candidates achieved the highest points of among others to final round.

Final round will be held in Gdansk, Poland. Three-day full-board (breakfast, lunch, dinner) accommodation will be provided for all the candidates and their teachers free of charge. The candidates and their teachers just need to make their own arrangement to the Final venue.

Force majeure – in case of force majeure, such as severe acts of nature or weather events including floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, or explosions; war, acts of terrorism, and epidemics, the trip will be postponed until the situation gets better. However, the final decision will be made by the ESB team considering the situation.

Competition Tasks & Time Allowed

Candidates in the preliminary round will be given three tasks (written, listening and brainstorm), and in the semi-final and final round three tasks (oral, written and listening ):

1) Task 1 Written – participants read the text and identify and correct 10 misspelled words (time allowed 10 minutes);

1.1) Task 1.2 Written – Bee Levels 1-4 – participants need to identify and correctly spell 10 words based on a picture and scrambled up letters. (time allowed 10 minutes); Bee Levels 5-11 – participants need to identify and correctly spell 10 words based on a definition and scrambled up letters. (time allowed 10 minutes);

2) Task 2 Listening - participants listen to a short recording, read the text and complete 10 gaps with correct spelling of the words (approximate time 10 minutes);

3) Task 3 Brainstorm (sample in next tab) – this task is given only in the preliminary round. This task will be taken together with written and listening task at the same time. Participants need to think carefully and find 5 (five) words that start and end with specific letters, and number of words required will be given in the tasks. In this task, participants are required not to write any names (country, city, famous people, etc.) and numbers (one, two, fifty, thousand, million etc.). Only closed compound nouns (joined to form a single word, e.g., football, blackboard) are acceptable as a single word in this task while open compounds
(spelled as two words, e.g., ice cream) and hyphenated compounds (two words joined by a hyphen, e.g., long-term) are not allowed. (time allowed 10 minutes)

4) Task 3 Oral – candidates will not take oral spelling exam in the preliminary round, and in the semifinal and final round each participant will be given five words to spell orally. However, there is an exception rule for the oral spelling exam in the final round, please read Rule and guideline for Oral Spelling - Judge’s, Pronouncer’s and Speller’s role for further details. (time allowed: the spellers have total 1 minute and 45 seconds to think and spell each word after the clear pronunciation and all information are given. The judges and pronouncer will not communicate with the speller during the final 30 seconds. The judges will disqualify any speller who does not provide a complete spelling before the expiration of time (0 seconds). If the judges and pronouncer need to discuss a competition-related matter while the speller is contemplating a word, they may pause the time clock, and they will inform the speller when they pause and resume the time clock.)

Sample for Brainstorm Task

SAMPLE for BEE 1
Write 5 (five) words that start with E and end with E. Each word must contain no less than 5 (five) letters.
Writing any names (country, city, famous people, etc.) and numbers (one, two, fifty, thousand, million etc.) is not acceptable. Words can be written either in capital or small letters.
Note: Only closed compound nouns (joined to form a single word, e.g., football, blackboard) are acceptable as a single word in this task while open compounds (spelled as two words, e.g., ice cream) and hyphenated compounds (two words joined by a hyphen, e.g., long-term) are not allowed.
1) E ____________________ E
2) E ____________________ E
3) E ____________________ E
4) E ____________________ E
5) E ____________________ E

Sample for BEE 2
Write 5 (five) words that start with B and end with Y. Each word must contain no less than 6 (six) letters.
Writing any names (country, city, famous people, etc.) and numbers (one, two, fifty, thousand, million etc.) is not acceptable. Words can be written either in capital or small letters.
Note: Only closed compound nouns (joined to form a single word, e.g., football, blackboard) are acceptable as a single word in this task while open compounds (spelled as two words, e.g., ice cream) and hyphenated compounds (two words joined by a hyphen, e.g., long-term) are not allowed.
1) B __________________Y
2) B __________________Y
3) B __________________Y
4) B __________________Y
5) B __________________Y

Rule and guideline for Oral Spelling - Judge’s, Pronouncer’s and Speller’s role

• The Judges and Pronouncers will be in complete charge of the contest. Their decision will be final in all
questions. Any problem relating to the spelling of a word must be referred to the Judges immediately during the competition at the relevant stage. No complaints or appeals will be considered after the contest has ended.
• The judges listen carefully, determine whether or not words are spelled correctly, and uphold the rules. The decisions of the judges are final.
• Misunderstandings: The judges will not respond to the speller’s question(s) about the word and its pronunciation but, if the judges sense that the speller has misunderstood the word, the judges will direct
the speller and pronouncer to interact until they are satisfied that reasonable attempts have been made to assist the speller in understanding the word within the time constraints outlined in Rule 4, Competition Tasks & Time Allowed. It is sometimes impossible to detect a misunderstanding until a spelling error has been made, and the judges are not responsible for the speller’s misunderstanding.
• Pronouncer Errors: The judges compare the pronouncer’s pronunciation with the diacritical markings in the word list. If the judges feel that the pronouncer’s pronunciation does not match the pronunciation
specified in the diacritical markings, the judges will direct the pronouncer to correct the error as soon as
it is detected.
• Spellers are allowed to bring a note pad and pen or pencil to practise the words before the competition
(for their use only), but the speller must then spell the word orally during the competition. Extra paper and pencil are not allowed.
• In competition, spellers may pronounce words before spelling, after spelling, or not at all. However,
you are encouraged to pronounce the word BEFORE spelling to ensure that you heard the word correctly. For example, if you are given the word baseball and you spell baseballs, your spelling will be considered incorrect. Or, if you are given absence and you spell absent, your spelling will be considered
incorrect. The speller may ask the pronouncer to say the word again, define it, use it in a sentence, provide the part of speech, provide the language(s) of origin and/or provide an alternate pronunciation or pronunciations.
• The pronouncer strives to pronounce words according to the diacritical markings in ESB word lists.
• The pronouncer responds to the speller’s requests for a definition, sentence, part of speech, language(s) of origin and alternate pronunciation(s) as listed in the competition word list produced by
ESB. The pronouncer does not entertain root word questions, requests for alternate definitions or
requests for slower pronunciation.
• Homonyms: If a word has one or more homonyms, the pronouncer indicates which word is to be spelled by defining the word.
• At any time, the speller may request that a word be re-pronounced, defined or used in a sentence, or
they may ask for the part of speech or the language of origin. But the pronouncer shall grant the request(s) until the judges agree that the word has been made reasonably clear to the speller. The
pronouncer will not syllabify (divide into syllables) the word.
• Once you begin to spell a word, you will not have a chance to change letters once pronounced. A
speller may repeat the word orally, provided letters and their sequence are not changed. The speller must indicate words with apostrophes, capitals and other punctuation marks, and any accent marks either over the letter or at the end of the word.
• Judges may disqualify any speller who ignores a request to start spelling the word within a reasonable
time outline in Rule 4 Competition Tasks & Time Allowed.
• Misunderstandings: The speller is responsible for any misunderstanding of the word unless (1) the
pronouncer never provided a correct pronunciation; (2) the pronouncer provided incorrect information
regarding the definition, part of speech, or language of origin; or (3) the speller correctly spelled a
homonym of the word and the pronouncer failed to either offer a definition or distinguish the homonyms. When a speller is given the definition of a homonym, he or she must spell the word which is defined.
• When a speller fails to spell a word correctly after all additional assistance as permitted by the rules of
the competition has been provided, and / or the maximum time has expired, they must drop out of the competition. The pronouncer will announce the correct spelling of the word and a greeter will present a certificate of participation to the student. Another word shall be given to the next speller in line. The winner(s) will be announced accordingly.
• There is an element of chance in this contest. When only two spellers remain with equal points, the elimination procedure changes. At that point, when a speller misspells a word, the other speller will be given the opportunity to spell the other word. If the second speller spells the word correctly, the second speller will be declared the winner of Gold/Silver or Bronze medal. If both spellers misspell the same word, both will continue in the contest with a new word until the judges make final decision.
• In the event of a protest or dispute, decisions shall be based on “Macmillan Dictionary of English” the official contest dictionary. No other source shall be allowed.
• To minimize disruptions during this competition we ask audience members to turn off cell phones and pagers.

Marking Guidance for All Bee Levels

Task 1 – Written (10 words)
3 points for each word correctly spelled–10 questions a total of 30 points
Applicable to preliminary round, semi-final round and the Final round
** no partial points for partially correct spelling

Task 1.2 – Written (10 words)
3 points for each word correctly spelled–10 questions a total of 30 points
Applicable to preliminary round, semi-final round and the Final round
** no partial points for partially correct spelling

Task 2 – Listening (10 words)
3 points for each word correctly spelled–10 questions a total of 30 points
Applicable to preliminary round, semi-final round and the Final round
** no partial points for partially correct spelling

Task 3 - Brainstorm (5 words) - Applicable to preliminary round only
2 points for each word correctly spelled – 5 questions a total of 10 points

Task 3 – Oral (5 words) - Applicable to semi-final and the Final round only
2 points for each word correctly spelled
** no partial points for partially correct spelling All tasks: plural forms and capital letters are required where necessary to obtain the points.
*** Oral spelling task does not require capital letters, but plural forms are mandatory.

The exam level for the semi-final round will be one Bee level higher than the one in the preliminary round, and will remain the same at the final round.

Approval from Malaysia Education Minister (KPM) with PAJSK Co-curriculum Points (National School System)

Eurasian Spelling Bee 2022 is approved by Ministry of Education, Malaysia. The students will be entitled to Markah PAJSK for participation and achievement at various stages. The points will be provided by KPM, after the organiser submit the competition report when the final round completed.

Prizes

All participants will receive a certificate of participation in the preliminary and semi-final round.

The finalists who achieve the highest points in each category will be awarded as follows:
2 Gold medal, 3 Silver medals and 4 Bronze medals. The rest of the finalists who pass the final round
tests will also be awarded an internationally recognised certificate in English by Gatehouse Awards
United Kingdom. The number of top winners will increase if they have equal points in the final stage of
oral spelling.

Additional memorable gifts for the top Gold winners will be included to the parcel upon sending awards.

Where to get more information?

Please contact the Malaysia Coordinator at 012-383 3218 or 011-6550 5400 or email ckgan@english.edu.my

Privacy

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Check your results for World Final, Semi-final/Preliminary Round, and download your certificates here