The International Spelling Bee competition will be held in 3 Levels: Preliminary Level, Intermediate Level and Final Level.
PRELIMINARY LEVEL
The preliminary level of the International Spelling Bee consists of three rounds: Spell It, Synonyms and Antonyms. The exam will have a 15-minute time restriction, with five minutes allotted for each round. The objective of each round is to respond correctly to as many questions as possible in the allotted five minutes.
N.B: Each round will END once the student gives an answer INCORRECTLY or if the timer expires.
Round 1 – Spell It
This round is the essence of the competition. Here participants will listen to a word (handpicked as per their category) and he/she should spell that word correctly.
Round 2 – Synonyms
As soon as the first round ends, the second round will begin. In this round, the participants should spell a word that has a similar meaning to the displayed word. A hint will be given for the word that must be identified.
Example:
Displayed word: DELICATE
Word to be guessed: _ R_ _ _ _ E
Meaning: very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship
or quality
Usage: The ceramic mug you bought is very delicate.
Ans. Fragile
Round 3 – Antonyms
In the third round, participants should spell a word that has an opposite meaning to the displayed word. A hint will be given for the word that must be identified.
Example:
Displayed word: SMOOTH
Word to be guessed: _ O_ _ _ E
Meaning: having an even and regular surface; free from perceptible projections, lumps, or indentations
Usage: The paper is not smooth enough
Ans. Coarse
The student who clears the Preliminary Level is eligible to take part in the Intermediate Level of competition.
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
The intermediate level of the International Spelling Bee consists of three rounds: Spell It, Phonetic Symbols and Word Unscramble. The exam will have a 15-minute time restriction, with five minutes allotted for each round. The objective of each round is to respond correctly to as many questions as possible in the allotted five minutes.
N.B: Each round will END once the student gives an answer INCORRECTLY or if the timer expires.
Round 1 – Spell It
Similar to the preliminary exam’s round one, here also participants will listen to a word (handpicked as per their category) and he/she should spell it correctly. The difficulty level will be higher in this level compared to the previous level.
Round 2- Phonetic Symbols
In this round, a phonetic symbol of a word will be displayed on screen which the participants should identify and spell correctly.
Round 3: Word Unscramble
In this round, a jumbled form of a word will be shown. Participants are required to rearrange the word in order to discover a hidden word.
The student who clears the Intermediate Level is eligible to take part in the Final Level of competition.
FINAL LEVEL
The final level of the International Spelling Bee consists of three rounds: Spell It, Pick the Wrong Letter and Anagrams. The exam will have a 15-minute time restriction, with five minutes allotted for each round. The objective of each round is to respond correctly to as many questions as possible in the allotted five minutes.
N.B: Each round will END once the student gives an answer INCORRECTLY or if the timer expires.
Round 1- Spell It
Similar to the Preliminary exam’s round one, here also participants will listen to a word (handpicked as per their category) and he/she should spell it correctly. The difficulty level will be the highest in this round.
Round 2- Pick the Wrong Letter
This will be a Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) round, where from the given four options participants need to pick the wrongly spelt word.
Example:
From which of the following options does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
(a) accompanist
(b) comparision
(c) conceivable
(d) acquittal
Ans: (b) comparision
Round 3- Anagrams (Rearranging Words)
Anagram is a word formed by rearranging the letters of another word. A word will appear on the screen and participants shall spell another meaningful word using the same letters.
Example:
nameless – salesmen
solemn – melons
For every level, each correct answer carries 1 mark
*In the event of a tie, additional tie-breaker questions will be introduced by the examiner which will involve the participant’s knowledge in etymology.