Caya Academy: Your English Language Partner
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The Eurasian Spelling Bee Lexical Skills is an English spelling competition organized by ELPC – English Language Proficiency Competition LTD International, in cooperation with Gatehouse Awards LTD, United Kingdom. Caya Academy is the coordinator for Malaysia and Singapore.
It is open to students aged 6 to 19 studying in public, private, and international schools across Asia and Europe. There are 3 rounds: Preliminary, Semi-Final, and the World Final round. Students will be tested with writing, listening, and brainstorming test in the preliminary round, as well as writing, listening and oral spelling test in the semi-final and world final rounds.
The main goal of Eurasian Spelling Bee is to create and nurture friendly relations and national understanding among young people interested in the English language from Asian and European countries.
Date
17, 18 or 19 May 2024
Duration
1 hour (timeslot to be assigned)
Mode
(1) Online at home
(2) Paper-based or Online at school (if your school is hosting)
Area of Test
Task 1: Writing
• To correct misspelled words
Task 2: Writing
• To identify and spell words
Task 3: Listening
• To listen to audio and fill in words
Task 4: Brainstorm
• To think of 5 words that start with a given letter, according to the definition.
Date
28, 29 or 30 June 2024
Duration
1 hour
Mode
Online at home
Area of Test
Task 1: Writing
• To correct misspelled words
Task 2: Writing
• To identify and spell words
Task 3: Listening
• To listen to audio and fill in words
Task 4: Oral
• To spell 5 words orally
Date
25 to 27 Oct 2024
Mode/Venue
Paper-based at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Area of Test
Task 1: Writing
• To correct misspelled words
Task 2: Writing
• To identify and spell words
Task 3: Listening
• To listen to audio and fill in words
Task 4: Oral
• To spell 5 words orally on stage
The Competition will be run in 3 rounds: Preliminary Round, Semi-Final Round and World Final Round.
Preliminary Round (National Level)
Option 1
Date: 17, 18 or 19 May 2024
Duration: 1 hour (during one of the dates above)
Mode: Online test
Host: The session will be conducted by Hippo team using Zoom
Option 2
Date: 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19 May 2024
Duration: 1 hour
Mode: Either a Paper-Based test or an Online test conducted within your school/tuition premises.
Host: The session will be supervised by your respective school/tuition teachers. The date and mode can be anytime between 24 to 28 April 2024, with the decision to be made by teachers.
Semi-Final Round (International Level)
Date: 28, 29 or 30 June 2024
Mode: Online at Home
World Final Round (International Level)
Date: 25 to 27 October 2024
Mode & Location: Physical at The Pearl Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Malaysia
The registration for ESB 2024 is closed. See you in ESB 2025!
The registration for ESB 2024 is closed. See you in ESB 2025!
✧ Students should enroll according to their school grade or school year 2024.
✧ Students of lower grade can compete at higher level if they feel prepared for the level.
For students from Public/Private schools studying English as a second/foreign language:
Primary 1 & 2: Bee 1
Primary 3 & 4: Bee 2
Primary 5 & 6: Bee 3
Secondary 1 & 2: Bee 4
Secondary 3 & 4: Bee 5
Secondary 5 & 6: Bee 6
For students from International/Private schools studying English as a First language:
Year 1 & 2: Bee 2
Year 3 & 4: Bee 3
Year 5 & 6: Bee 4
Year 7 & 8: Bee 5
Year 9 & 10: Bee 6
Bee 1: CEFR A1
Bee 2: CEFR A2
Bee 3: CEFR B1
Bee 4: CEFR B2
Bee 5: CEFR C1
Bee 6: CEFR C2
If you wish to learn more about CEFR, click here.
There are 3 competition rounds: Preliminary Round, Semi-Final Round and the World Final round.
1) Preliminary Round
• Test: Written (Task 1&2), Listening (Task 3) & Brainstorm (Task 4)
• Students will start with the preliminary round and compete among Malaysian students to qualify for the semi-final round.
2) Semi-Final Round
• Test: Written (Task 1&2), Listening (Task 3) & Oral Spelling (Task 4)
• The top 15% of participants from the preliminary round will be invited to the semi-final round.
3) World Final Round
• Test: Written (Task 1&2), Listening (Task 3) & Oral Stage Spelling (Task 4)
• A minimum of 120 students will be invited to the final round if the number of registered candidates reaches 15,000. The number of semi-finalists and finalists may increase or decrease slightly based on the number of participants or, in the case of equal points. Finalists will be chosen based on scores received in the semi-final round.
• Should a country does not have any candidate qualified for the final round, ELPC organisation will give Wild Cards to the country depending on the number of candidates. Wild Cards will be given to only the countries which meet the minimum requirement of registration.
• No free accommodation will be provided for the candidates in the final round. The candidates will need to book the accommodation on their own. The event organizers may assist with booking the rooms as long as they select the same hotel where the exam and event will take place in.
• Arrival date is the 25th of October and departure date is the 27th of October after the Awards Ceremony is over. Candidates may check out the hotel the day after the Awards Ceremony depending on their choice and departure schedule.
• Welcoming Ceremony will take place at 20:00 on the 25th of October after arrival of the candidates.
• Full day examination will be run on the 26th of October from 9:00am to 18:00, and half-day examination will be scheduled on the 27th of October from 9:00am to 15:00. The competition will take place in the exam venues in the Pearl International Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• The event: Awards Ceremony & Gala dinner will take place on the 27th of October at 19:00 in the ballroom in the Pearl International Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The results for all of the candidates will be announced during the event. The Awards Ceremony will include meals and drinks which is similar to Gala dinner as well as there will be an additional show during the ceremony.
• The candidates, VIP guests and only one accompanying person of the candidate will be invited to the event free of charge. The other guests will need to purchase the entry ticket for the event. Country coordinators will assist with purchasing the entry tickets.
Force Majeure
In the event of force majeure, including severe acts of nature or weather events such as floods, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, or explosions; war, acts of terrorism, and epidemics, the trip will be postponed until the situation improves. The final decision will be made by the ESB team, taking into consideration the prevailing circumstances.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Task 1 (Written)
Time Allowance: 10 minutes
• Participants identify and correct 10 misspelled words within a given text.
Task 1 (Written)
Time Allowance: 10 minutes
• Bee 1-2: Participants identify and correctly spell 10 words based on a picture and scrambled letters.
• Bee 3-6: Participants identify and correctly spell 10 words based on a provided definition and scrambled letters.
Task 2 (Listening)
Time Allowance: 10 minutes
• Participants listen to a short recording, read the text, and complete 10 gaps with the correct spelling of the words.
Task 3 (Brainstorm)
Time Allowance: 10 minutes
• Participants find 5 words that start and end with specific letters, excluding names and numbers. Closed compound nouns are acceptable, while open compounds and hyphenated compounds are not allowed.
SEMI-FINAL & WORLD FINAL ROUND
Task 1 & 2 (Written)
• No changes from the preliminary round.
Task 3 (Listening)
• No changes from the preliminary round.
Task 4 (Oral)
Time Allowance: 1 minute and 45 seconds for each word, with a 30-second warning before disqualification
• Each participant spells five or more words orally. Please refer to (8) Rules for Oral Spelling Test for more details.
• 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 constraint of 1 minute 45 seconds. 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 1 minute 45 seconds.
• 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.
Task 4 - Brainstorm (SAMPLE)
Write 5 (five) words that that aligned to HOME, start with the first letter given, according to the definition. Each word contains no less than 5 letters.
Definition: A hanging piece of fabric used to shut out the light from a window.
1) C _____________________________
Definition: A building or indoor area for parking or storing motor vehicles.
2) G _____________________________
Definition: A room furnished and used for sleeping.
3) B _____________________________
Definition: A room or place equipped for cooking.
4) K _____________________________
Definition: A room equipped for taking a bath or shower.
5) B _____________________________
Answer
1) Curtain
2) Garage
3) Bedroom
4) Kitchen
5) Bathroom
Task 1 (Written) - 10 words
• Each correctly spelled word earns 3 points, with a total of 30 points for 10 questions.
• Applicable to the preliminary round, semi-final round, and the final round.
• No partial points awarded for partially correct spelling.
Task 2 (Written) - 10 words
• Each correctly spelled word earns 2 points, with a total of 20 points for 10 questions.
• Applicable to the preliminary round, semi-final round, and the final round.
• No partial points awarded for partially correct spelling.
Task 3 (Listening) - 10 words
• Each correctly spelled word earns 2 points, with a total of 20 points for 10 questions.
• Applicable to the preliminary round, semi-final round, and the final round.
• No partial points awarded for partially correct spelling.
Task 4 (Brainstorm) - 5 words
• Each correctly spelled word earns 2 points, with a total of 10 points for 5 questions.
• Applicable to the preliminary round only.
Task 4 (Oral) - 5 words
• Each correctly spelled word earns 6 points, with a total of 30 points for 5 questions.
• Applicable to the semi-final round and the final only.
• No partial points awarded for partially correct spelling.
• Plural forms and capital letters are required for all tasks where necessary to obtain points.
• For the oral spelling task, plural forms are mandatory, but capital letters are not required.
Total Points
Total of 80 points in the preliminary round.
Total of 100 points in the semi-final round.
Total of 100 points in the final round.
Exam Level Progression
The exam level for the semi-final round will be one bee level higher than that in the preliminary round and will remain the same for the final round.
All participants will receive a certificate of participation in the preliminary and semi-final round.
The World finalists who achieve the highest points in each category will be awarded as follows:
✧ World Champion
✧ 1st runner up
✧ 2nd runner up
✧ Merit award winner
✧ Credit award winner
All of the students who take the exam of world finals will be awarded with an internationally recognized certificate in English by Gatehouse Awards United Kingdom. Additional folders which contain memorable gifts, certificates of participation & appreciation for all of the world finalists, teachers and coordinators will be awarded upon arrival to the exam.
Registered ESB participants will receive past-year questions free of charge. Upon verification of your submission and payment, the organizer will send you a WhatsApp message containing the link to download the past-year question papers, with login username and password.
Sample papers to practise are available to download on http://eurasianspellingbee.org/sample-papers.
By registering for the competition through our online form, WhatsApp, direct contact, or schools, you agree to allow us to use your personal data, including your full name, phone number, and email, to send you communications such as welcome letters, payment reminders, updates, announcements, and materials related to future competitions and classes from Caya Academy Sdn Bhd.
The registration for ESB 2024 is closed. See you in ESB 2025!
Participants can check results and download certificates below.
Join our weekly online lessons to better prepare for the competition. Our lessons will help you improve your spelling and vocabulary, and get familiar with CEFR syllabus.
Eurasian Spelling Bee was founded by ELPC Olympiad International LLC. Gatehouse Awards, a UK based awarding organisation specialising in English language qualifications and exams, prepares all the support and assessment materials for the ESB Competition.