The International English Language Olympiad is organised by GLOBAL HIPPO ASSOCIATION ITALY, a non-profit organisation founded in 2012 and GATEHOUSE AWARDS UNITED KINGDOM to promote the importance of English language knowledge and bring together children from different countries. The competition is open to students from 6 – 19 years old around the world. Caya Academy/Unique English Classroom is the coordinator for Malaysia & Singapore territory.
The Olympiad is an international event which promotes English language, challenges students around the globe to compete in English language knowledge, and motivates the teachers to cooperate. The Olympiad encourages the development of a shared sense of identity and integration, serves as a role model for young people living together as one community. The main goal is to create and nourish friendly relations, international understanding and a spirit of healthy competition between young people interested in English language from all around the world.
Apart from that, by participating in such an Olympiad, students get a chance to measure their level of English against international standards and get used to the concept of examination. Schools will more easily understand the level of English of their pupils and challenge them to learn more.
The Olympiad is aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Internationally recognised and Ofqual regulated English language qualifications are used throughout the Olympiad. The qualifications are intended for candidates who are not native speakers of English and who wish to achieve high quality, internationally recognised qualification in English that is available and recognised worldwide.
The competition will be run in four rounds: Preliminary round, Semi-final round, Qualifier round (T&Cs applied) and the World Final round in Rome, Italy.
The Competition will be run in FOUR rounds: Preliminary round, Semi-final round, Qualifier and World Final round.
Preliminary round:
15-16 April 2023
Mode: Online, or Physical in School
Semi-final round:
20-21 May 2023
Mode: Online or Centralized Exam Location (to be decided later)
Qualifier* round:
6-7 July 2023
Mode: Port Dickson, Malaysia
*Subject to HIPPO qualifier rules and regulations.
World Final round:
27-30 September 2023
Venue: Rome, Italy.
If you're parent, teacher or student and wish to register your child/student or yourself individually for HIPPO 2023 without going through the school (without using bulk registration form), please click the Register button on this page, and choose "To register myself/my child/students individually" to register.
If you're a teacher and would like to register a group of students from your school/tuition center, please select "I am a teacher, please send me bulk registration form" in the registration form to request. We will contact you soon. Click the Register button on this page to request.
The registration deadline is 6 April 2023. No applications will be accepted after the deadline.
Participant registration fee:
RM60 per student
Each participant will be given a COMPLEMENTARY online HIPPO - CEFR preparation workshop on a first come first served basis subject to the HIPPO Workshop's availability.
There is no additional fee if you make it to the semifinal or World Final rounds.
REGULAR CATEGORY
Students from National Schools (government-funded) or Private Schools (Non English Medium) are allowed to enroll in the Regular Category. The English proficiency level for Regular Category is equivalent to the "English as the Second or Foreign language".
The level will be assigned according to their year of birth.
- Students born in 2013 and younger will join "Little HIPPO"
- Students born in 2011 and younger will join "HIPPO 1"
- Students born in 2010 and younger will join "HIPPO 2"
- Students born in 2008 and younger will join "HIPPO 3"
- Students born in 2006 and younger will join "HIPPO 4"
- Students born in 2004 and younger will join "HIPPO 5"
SPECIAL CATEGORY
Students who are Not Qualified for the Regular Category, or felt that Regular Category is too easy, or wish to challenge higher levels can participate in the Special Category. The English proficiency level for Regular Category is equivalent to the "English as the First language".
Students from English medium private/international schools or attended school for at least 3 years in an English speaking country will join the Special Category.
The level will be assigned according to their year of birth.
- Students born in 2015 and younger will join "Little HIPPO"
- Students born in 2011 and younger will join "HIPPO S10"
- Students born in 2008 and younger will join "HIPPO S15"
- Students born in 2004 and younger will join "HIPPO S19"
Important Notes
1) Students who reached Hippo 2022 final round cannot compete in the same level in Hippo 2023.
2) The students of lower levels can compete at higher level if they feel prepared for the level.
3) Global Hippo Association keeps the right to check the school’s curriculum, the language of instruction and the number of hours of English taught.
4) Global Hippo Association reserves the right
to disqualify those who did not comply with the regulations.
Little HIPPO
- Preliminary Round is CEFR Pre A1
Young
Learners
- Semifinal and Final Round is CEFR A1 Young Learners
HIPPO 1
- Preliminary Round is CEFR A1 Young Learners
- Semifinal and Final Round is CEFR A2 Young Learners
HIPPO 2
- Preliminary Round is CEFR A1
- Semifinal and Final Round is CEFR A2
HIPPO 3
- Preliminary Round is CEFR A2
- Semifinal and Final Round is CEFR B1
HIPPO 4/ HIPPO S10
- Preliminary Round is CEFR B1
- Semifinal and Final Round is CEFR B2
HIPPO 5/ HIPPO S15
- Preliminary Round is CEFR B2
- Semifinal and Final Round is CEFR C1
HIPPO S19
- Preliminary Round is CEFR C1
- Semifinal and Final Round is CEFR C2
If you wish to know more about CEFR, click HERE
There are 4 competition rounds.
Students will start with the PRELIMINARY round. Students will compete among Malaysian students to qualify for the Semi-final round. The tests for the preliminary round will consist of two parts: a test of reading comprehension, and a Use of English test. All the questions are in multiple choice questions.
The top 10% from the country will be invited to the SEMI-FINAL round. The list of semi-finalists will be expanded to include all the students whose number of points is the same as the number of points of the last students in the first 10%. The exam level for the semi-final round will be one CEFR level higher than the one in the preliminary round. The tests for the semi-final round of the Olympiad will consist of a reading test, a writing test (30 questions) and an essay (except for Little Hippo).
QUALIFIER round - Where the number of enrolments in the Southeast Asia & India region reaches 10,000 students in the HIPPO 2023, with a minimum of 1,000 candidates per Hippo Category, HIPPO association will organise an additional round of the Olympiad, called Qualifiers round.
Students with the best ranking among those not qualified for the World Finals will be admitted to the Qualifiers.
The number of students admitted to the Qualifiers per category and country will be proportional to the number of preliminary round participants in each category per country. No more than three students per category per country will be admitted to the Qualifiers.
In the Qualifiers, the candidates will take a Hippo Test of English consisting of 30 Use of English open-ended questions and a crossword.
The Qualifiers will be held IN PERSON in MALAYSIA for HIPPO 2023. There will be NO online option.
The winner of each category will proceed to the World Finals.
In the FINAL round of the Olympiad, the candidates take a Gatehouse Awards exam, all 4 skills included.
GA Writing test will only be marked for the purpose of certification, not for the purpose of the final round ranking list.
In addition to the four-skill GA examinations, candidates take a Use of English test consisting of 30 questions. The results of this test will be used for final round ranking purposes and will not affect the GA examination qualification score.
The exam level for the final round will be one CEFR level higher than the one in the preliminary round that is the same as the semi-final round test.
The tests for the preliminary round of the Olympiad will consist of two parts: a test of reading comprehension (multiple choice questions), and a Use of English test. The maximum allowed time per part is shown below.
There is only one correct answer to every question. There are no negative marks.
Little HIPPO
Reading - 30 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 20 minutes.
Use of English - 20 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 20 minutes.
HIPPO 1
Reading - 30 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 30 minutes.
Use of English - 20 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 20 minutes.
HIPPO 2
Reading - 34 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 30 minutes.
Use of English - 20 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 20 minutes.
HIPPO 3
Reading - 34 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 35 minutes.
Use of English - 20 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 20 minutes.
HIPPO 4 & HIPPO S10
Reading - 34 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 40 minutes.
Use of English - 20 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 30 minutes.
HIPPO 5 & HIPPO S15
Reading - 40 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
Use of English - 20 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 30 minutes.
HIPPO S19
Reading - 40 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
Use of English - 20 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 30 minutes.
Answers are given on an answer sheet (OMR) and not in the test booklet for Physical test.
After the preliminary round tests have been marked, the top 10% of participating students from each participating country will be invited to the semi-final round. The list of semi-finalists will be expanded to include all the students whose number of points is the same as the number of points of the last students in the first 10%. The list of semi-finalists will be published on the Olympiad website within three weeks of the preliminary round date. The network of semi-final venues will be based on the location of the semi-finalists.
Wildcards are available for the countries where no student qualifies for the semifinal round and
will be granted to the best candidate in each category from the country.
The exam level for the semi-final round will be one CEFR level higher than the one in the preliminary round. The tests for the semi-final round of the Olympiad will consist of a reading test, a writing test (30 questions) and an essay (except for Little Hippo).
There is only one correct answer to every question. There are no negative marks.
Little HIPPO
Reading - 30 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 30 minutes.
Writing - 30 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
HIPPO 1
Reading - 40 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 30 minutes.
Writing - Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
HIPPO 2
Reading - 34 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 35 minutes.
Writing - Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
HIPPO 3
Reading - 34 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 40 minutes.
Writing - Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
HIPPO 4 & HIPPO S10
Reading - 40 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
Writing - Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
HIPPO 5 & HIPPO S15
Reading - 40 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
Writing - Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
HIPPO S19
Reading - 40 questions, 1 point each. Maximum 50 minutes.
Writing - Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions, 1.5 point each. Maximum 45 minutes.
The writing test will consist of a free-writing task (100 – 200 words depending on the category) and 30 questions. The level of difficulty of all the questions will be one level higher than the one in the preliminary round. The essay will be assessed only in case two or more candidates have the scores on both the reading and the writing test.
Answers are given on an answer sheet (OMR) and not in the test booklet for Physical test.
Qualifier Round
The Olympiad participants will be divided into Olympiad regions (hereinafter regions) for the purpose of organising regional qualifiers, namely Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, India & Southeast Asia, China & Far East, Africa and Central & South America
The 2023 Qualifiers will be held in:
1. Venice, Italy, on 22-25 May 2023 for Europe;
2. Istanbul, Turkey, on 20-23 June 2023 for Centra Asia, Middle East and Africa;
3. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 6-7 July 2023 for India & Southeast Asia, China & Far East.
Where the number of enrolments in a specific region reaches 10,000 students in the 2023 edition, with a minimum of 1,000 candidates per Hippo Category, HIPPO association will organise an additional round of the Olympiad, called Qualifiers.
Students with the best ranking among those not qualified for the World Finals will be admitted to the Qualifiers. The number of students admitted to the Qualifiers per category and country will be proportional to the number of preliminary round participants in each category per country. No more than three students per category per country will be admitted to the Qualifiers.
The Qualifiers will be held IN PERSON. There will be NO online option.
If a student does not confirm their participation within 7 days of the invitation to the Qualifiers, the next student in the ranking list from the same country will be invited.
Students invited to the Qualifiers will be requested to pay a participation fee of €50-€100, depending on the location. Students and accompanying teachers or parents will need to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements and cover the costs themselves. The participation fee will cover the costs of insurance, merchandising (given to the participants upon arrival), participation in the organised activities and examination preparation material that Global Hippo Association will send to the students upon confirmation of participation.
Students and one accompanying teacher or parent are expected to arrive at the venue one day before the examination date. The examinations will take place on the morning after while the proclamation of winners will take place in the evening.
The winner of each category will proceed to the World Finals.
The World Final Round
The final round of the Olympiad will be held in Rome, Italy, in October 2023. All candidates can be accompanied by their English language teacher, or an English-speaking teacher from their school. Parents who wish to accompany their children need to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements as the hotels where the students are accommodated are booked exclusively for the Olympiad participants.
Three-day half-board accommodation will be provided for all the candidates and their teachers free of charge.
Finalists are expected to arrive the day before the examinations start; examinations will be held over two days while the proclamation of winners and awarding ceremony will be held on the evening of the second day of examinations.
All candidates in the preliminary round, semi-final round, regional qualifier and the world final round will receive a certificate of participation after the competition.
In the Qualifier round,
- The winners of each category will proceed to the World Finals.
- The second winners in each category will get a one-week stay at the Hippo Summer Camp, fully inclusive of accommodation, meals, activities and airport transfers.
- The third winners in each category will receive a 50% discount coupon for the Hippo Summer Camp.
In the Final Round,
- All candidates who pass the final round tests (score 55% minimum) will be awarded a Gatehouse Awards internationally recognised certificate in English.
- Hippo 3, 4 and 5 Winners will receive Bucksmore Golden Ticket Prize, a two-week stay at one of Bucksmore Education colleges and will be fully inclusive of tuition, accommodation, excursions, meals and airport transfers.
- Little, Hippo 1, 2, S10, S15 and S19 Winners will receive a one-week stay at the Hippo Summer Camp, fully inclusive of accommodation, meals, activities and airport transfers.
- Second place winners of Hippo 4, 5 and S19 will receive a full Mizzou K-12 Online Diploma program.
- Second place winners of Little Hippo, 1, 2, 3, S10 and S15 will receive a 50% discount coupon for the Hippo Summer Camp.
- Third place winners in each category will receive a Crosswords preparation book.
Please note that the cost of traveling to/from the Hippo Summer Camp and Bucksmore Education college (such as air fare) will not be included. The cost will be the responsibility of the winning recipient.
For the physical test, the reading test answers are marked by an OMR device and for that reason need to be properly filled in. Candidates are required to use a pen while completing the OMR form. An OMR sample form will be available on the website two weeks before the preliminary round of the Olympiad at the latest.
In case an OMR form is not properly filled in (e.g. incorrect or missing candidate number) or scanned and the OMR device cannot read it, Global Hippo Association keeps the right to disqualify the candidate if the identity of the candidate cannot be established.
In the semi-final round, the essay will be marked only if two or more candidates have the same number of points on both the reading and the writing test or in case of suspected cheating or malpractice.
For online examinations, in case of suspected malpractice, Hippo Association keeps the right to retest the candidates using a parallel test and under the invigilation of the Hippo staff.
The ranking list for all categories as well as the names of the candidates who qualified for the semi-final round will be available on http://www.hippo-olympiad.org within three weeks of the preliminary round date.
The ranking list for all categories as well as the names of the candidates who qualified for the final round and eventually regional qualifiers will be available on http://www.hippo-olympiad.org withing three weeks of the semi-final round date.
The final round places will be assigned in the following way:
Top 140 finalists will be admitted directly from the semi-final ranking list. The number of finalists per category and country will be proportional to the number of preliminary round participants in each
category per country.
In order to promote a multicultural environment, wildcards will be granted to the best participant from each of the countries that does not have a finalist.
In addition to the above, winners of regional qualifiers will be admitted to Finals.
GLOBAL HIPPO ASSOCIATION keep the right to increase the number of finalists if the number of applicants exceeds 67,500, all in accordance with the Olympiad regulations.
The exact date of the final round as well as the participation confirmation deadline will be
announced in due time.
Past year questions will be given FREE to registered HIPPO participants. After checking your submission and the payment, the organiser will WHATSAPP you the link to download the past year question papers, with login username and password.
By registering the HIPPO competition either via online form, whatsapp, direct contact or schools, you will agree to allow us to use your personal data such as full name, personal phone number and email address in order for us to send you the communications such as welcoming messages, reminder, updates, announcements, future competitions and related English classes. If you do not wish to receive such messages from us directly, please revert back to us immediately in order to unsubscribe.
RM60 per student under Group Registration by School/Teacher, OR Individual registration.
Online transfer to the following account.
Make sure you include the Participant Name in payment details.
Name: Caya Academy Sdn Bhd
Bank: Maybank
Account Number: 512884095226
We will normally check your payment together with the registration form to match. You can also WHATSAPP your payment receipt, and state the participant name to 011-6550 5400 or email to ckgan@english.edu.my
Refund is permissible if you cannot attend the competition on the scheduled date due to health condition, and the replacement date is not available. You must produce a valid medical certificate to request the refund of the participation fee.
For more information about the competition, please WhatsApp 011-65505400 or email malaysia@hippo-olympiad.org
GLOBAL HIPPO ASSOCIATION is a non-profit organisation founded in 2012 with the purpose of promoting the importance of English language knowledge and bringing together children from different countries.
HIPPO 2022 - 6,500 Malaysian participants from 1,000 schools
HIPPO 2021 - 6,800 Malaysian participants from 950 schools
HIPPO 2020 - 4,500 Malaysian participants from 500 schools
Caya Academy Sdn Bhd
(1240452-H)
Block H1-01, Setiawalk,
Persiaran Wawasan, Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47160 Puchong,
Selangor, MALAYSIA
Tel: 03-8603 4277
Mobile: 012-3833218, 012-5163400
Email: admin@english.edu.my
Exciting News Alert: SEMI-FINAL ROUND Results Revealed! Discover Your Status as a World Finalist or Regional Qualifier and Claim Your Certificate Now!
Exciting News Alert: SEMI-FINAL ROUND Results Revealed! Discover Your Status as a World Finalist or Regional Qualifier and Claim Your Certificate Now!