2022 Hippo English Olympiad - 阿思丹（ASDAN China）

Program Introduction

Hippo "English Without Borders" Olympiad is organized by the GLOBAL HIPPO ASSOCIATION, a non-profit organization founded in 2012 and based in Italy. With the mission "English without borders", the Hippo English Olympiad is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CEFR and is divided into 9 levels of dificulty for young people aged 7 to 18 from non-native speaking countries and regions. In the past ten years, more than 50 countries and regions around the world have organized students to participate, and more than 70,000 students worldwide participated in 2022, making it the world's most influential English (non-native) Olympiad challenge and assessment for youth.

1. Students may choose a higher HIPPO level than they are suggested based on their school grades, but not a lower HIPPO level. For example, a 7th grade student is recommended to take HIPPO 3, he may also choose to take HIPPO 4 and Hippo 5 if he'd like to, but not HIPPO 1 and HIPPO 2.
2. The Special Category is for students with very high English prociency. The level corresponds to a difculty level 2-3 levels higher than the Regular Category.
3. To know the difficulty of each level before registering, please click Hippo Sample to view the sample questions of each level.

*CEFR：

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an internationally recognized standard for describing language competence and proficiency and is the most widely accepted reference standard for language assessment worldwide. In many countries, the CEFR has replaced their respective assessment systems for foreign language education. For example, many European education authorities have explicitly dened the CEFR levels that secondary school students should achieve, such as B2 for the first foreign language level and B1 for the second foreign language level.

Preliminary Round

Semi Final Round

Global Final Round

Preliminary Round

About Registration

Deadline for Preliminary Round's Registration & Payment: 2023 Mar 31st
Participants: Students aged 7-18 (must have an ID from China or another non-native English speaking country)
Participation Fee: 180 RMB / person (fee includes: paper fee, examination fee, marking fee, certicate fee,
reference questions and one online practice exam)
Academic Supporting Materials: Sample test papers and answers will be provided by the organizing
committee upon registration
Registration Methods：1: Scan the QR code on the right
2: Batch Registration by school

Scan the QR code

About Examination

Time：April 22nd, 2023, Saturday, Starting at 10:00 a.m
Location：Nationwide Schools as Test Center / Online*）
* Online tests require participants to prepare: ① a computer with webcam ② a cell phone or Tablet/Ipad
Duration：40-75 minutes (varies by grade, see below)

Preliminary Round Questions

All questions are Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)

Group	HIPPO Grade	Test Content
		Duration	Reading	Use of English
Regular Category	Little Hippo	40 mins	30 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each
	Hippo 1	50 mins	30 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each
	Hippo 2	50 mins	34 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each
	Hippo 3	55 mins	34 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each
	Hippo 4	70 mins	34 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each
	Hippo 5	75 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each
Special Category	Hippo S10	70 mins	34 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each
	Hippo S15	75 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each
	Hippo S19	75 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	20 Questions 1.5 Points Each

Award Setting

First Prize Top 10% in China
Second Prize Top 10%-25% in China
Third Prize Top 25%-40% in China
Excellence Award Top 40%-60% in China

*The contestants who win the first prize will successfully qualify for the Semi-final round
*All contestants will receive a certificate of participation from the HIPPO committee

Certificate of Participation (Mock Design)

Certificate of Achievement

Both certificates will identify the CEFR level that corresponds to the participant's level of entry.

Semi-Final
Round

Semi Final Round

About Registration

Deadline for Registration and Payment: Early May 2023
Participants: First prize winners in the preliminary round (must have an ID from China or another
non-native English speaking country)
Participation fee: 280 RMB / person (fee includes: paper fee, examination fee, marking fee, certificate fee, reference
questions and one online practice exam)
Academic Supporting Materials: Sample test papers and answers will be provided upon registration
Registration Method： All qualified candidates will receive email and SMS notifications of the
registration opening date.
1: Through ASDAN Mini Program
2: Batch Registration by school

About Examination

Time：May 13th, 2023, Saturday, Starting at 10:00 a.m.
Location：Nationwide Schools as Test Center / Online*
* Online tests require participants to prepare: ① a computer with webcam ② a cell phone or Tablet/Ipad
Entry Criteria：Students who won the first prize in the Preliminary Round
Duration：75-95 minutes (varies by grade, see below)

Semi Final Round Questions

Reading: multiple choice questions (MCQ); Writing: short answers

Group	Hippo Grade	Test Content
		Duration	Reading	Writing
Regular Category	Little Hippo	75 mins	30 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each (No Essay)
	Hippo 1	75 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each+Essay (40 words）
	Hippo 2	70 mins	34 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each+Essay (60 words）
	Hippo 3	85 mins	34 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each+Essay (80 words）
	Hippo 4	90 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each+Essay (120 words）
	Hippo 5	90 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each+Essay (150 words）
Special Category	Hippo S10	90 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each+Essay (120 words）
	Hippo S15	90 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each+Essay (150 words）
	Hippo S19	95 mins	40 Questions 1 Point Each	30 Questions 1.5 Points Each+Essay (180 words）

Award Setting

Global Award Top 120 Ranking Globally
Gold Award Top 20% in China
Silver Award Top 20%-40% in China
Bronze Award Top 40%-60% in China

* The contestants who win the global award will successfully qualify for the global finals
* All participants will receive a certicate of participation from the organizing committee

Certificate of Participation (Mock Design)

Certificate of Achievement

Both certificates will identify the CEFR level that corresponds to the participant's level of entry

Global Final Round

Global Final Date: October 2023, dates to be confirmed
Global Final Location
Entry Criteria：Students winning the Global Award in the Semi Final Round
Test Content：Reading | Listening | Writing | Speaking | Use of English

Award Setting：Global Gold Awards, Silver Awards and Bronze Awards
All participants will receive a certificate of participation issued by the organizing committee. Winners will be selected to the official honor list of the Global HIPPO Association.
Participants：Winner of the Global Prize in the Semi Final Round (must have an ID from China or other non-native English speaking country)
Participation Fee：Free of Charge for participation fees and three days of accommodation and food during the finals. Finalists will be responsible for their own international airfare and visa fees to and from Italy. ASDAN China will send coordinator teachers to travel with the students.
Application Deadline and Application Method: To be announced

Global
Finals

Q: How do I select the right exam level for my students? How do I select between regular category and special category?

A: The Hippo Olympiad Committee has strict age and grade restrictions for each level of entry, candidates must apply for the exam in accordance with their school grade as indicated on the exam details page. The examinations team allows students to apply for a higher level than the school grade they are enrolled in. For example, a 7th grade student is recommended to take HIPPO 3, he may also take HIPPO 4/5, but not HIPPO 1/2.

Students with excellent English skills are welcome to challenge the special category. Hippo S10's dificulty is equivalent to Hippo 4, Hippo S15 = Hippo 5, Hippo S19 is higher than Hippo 5. To know the difficulty of each level before registering, please click the Hippo Sample to view the sample questions of each level.

Q: How do the test scores correspond to the CEFR levels? How do I obtain the corresponding language proficiency certificate?

A: CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is an internationally recognized reference standard for assessing language ability and proficiency. The content of Hippo English Olympiad questions is based on the CEFR assessment framework, so the difficulty level of the questions corresponds to the difficulty level of CEFR level (see page 4 for details of the level comparison table). Hippo English Olympiad's award certificates are marked with the CEFR level corresponding to the student's enrollment level. Schools and parents can also consider Hippo English Olympiad as an authoritative CEFR-based English language proficiency assessment, which provides a better reference basis for subsequent English grading teaching and learning.

Q: Where will the offline test sites be located? Will students be able to choose between taking the online and offline exams on their own?

A: Offline test centers are usually ASDAN China partner schools that organize registration across the country. Please check with your school teacher to see if the school will organize the test. If your school does not organize the test, the organizing committee can assist you in reserving a place at another test center in the same city. Students who fail to obtain a reservation seat offline will take the exam online. The content of the test, test duration and marking criteria are identical between the online and ofine exams.

Q: What are the requirements for venue & equipment for online exams?

A: There are no restrictions on the venue for the online exam, so candidates can complete the exam at home. Good internet access needs to be ensured throughout the exam and students need to complete all responses independently once the exam begins. Candidates need to use a laptop with a web camera as the exam device (can't use cell phones, tablets, etc.) and a fixable electronic device with a camera such as a cell phone, tablet or computer as the proctoring device. Before the exam, the organizing committee will send detailed instructions for the exam, arrange for equipment testing, and open the the real exam system for a mock exam practice. Please pay attention to the email and SMS notification sent by that time.

Q: Can parents help with the test if the child is young?

A: Online exams allow candidates aged 12 and under to be assisted by their parents in setting up the equipment and taking the mock exam. Parents are required to leave the room where the student is after the test has officially started. If parents are found to be involved in the exam answering process, the exam results shall be disqualified.

The offline exams will be proctored by the school teachers at the test site, and parents are not allowed to enter the test room.

Q: How do I get past test papers and study guide?

A: After registration, you can download the Hippo English Olympiad sample papers and answers from the "My ASDAN" → "My Project" → "Hippo English Olympiad" → "Material Download" in the ASDAN WeChat Mini-program.

Q: What kind of targeted tutoring can schools and teachers do?

A: Teachers at the test site can obtain the Examination Syllabus for each level provided by the Hippo committee, which can be used as the study and teaching guidance. The Hippo sample questions and answers can also be used as reference materials for teachers in their daily teaching and preparation for the test.

Q: How long does it take to receive the test results and certificates?

A: The results and the semi final round admission list will be announced within 3 weeks after the preliminary round, at which time candidates and parents can check the results and admission results in the ASDAN WeChat mini-program. The preliminary round certificate will be sent to the home address or school (for schools as test centers) about 6 weeks after the competition. The semi final round results and global nalists will be announced within 6 weeks after the semi final round, and the certificates will be sent to the home address or school (for schools as test centers) around 8 weeks after the semi final round test.