Why it is worth taking part
The format becomes ordinary. A child who has sat a paper in the manner of Cambridge English every year since the first grade knows what “Choose the correct answer” and “Write one word for each gap” mean, how long a part takes and what a good answer looks like. When the real examination comes, the unfamiliar part is gone.
The result says something useful. Every pupil receives points for each part of the paper, so you can see whether your child knows the words, uses grammar well in context and reads carefully, rather than a single mark that says only “good” or “average”.
It measures against an outside standard. The papers follow the format and marking of the examinations they are modelled on, so the result does not depend on how strict a particular school or teacher is.
There is nothing to prepare. The tasks use the vocabulary and grammar of the ordinary school programme for that grade. A child who is keeping up in class is ready. The whole paper takes 30 minutes.
How a child takes part
Entry is through the school. The class teacher registers the class, runs the olympiad in a lesson and receives the results. If you would like your child to take part, the person to ask is the child’s English teacher or the school office.
Exam Trainer does not enter children individually and is not able to answer questions about a particular school’s participation; the school, or the national partner that works with it, will know.
What the papers look like
The How it works page lists the examination each grade’s paper is modelled on and shows three sample tasks.