Competitions · Research and innovation · ISB
ISB, the International Science Bee.
Reach eight points and your round is over - and the faster you got there, the more bonus points you take with you. Ten students in a room, one buzzer each, and three wrong answers kill a question.
At a glance
What the bee is.
The International Science Bee is run by International Academic Competitions, the organisers of the Geography Bee. It has run for more than sixteen years and draws over 50,000 students from more than fifty countries and a thousand schools each year.
- Organiser
- International Academic Competitions
- Who can enter
- Primary, middle and high-school students, in four age groups
- Age groups
- Elementary under 12; middle school 12 to 14; junior varsity 14 to 16; and varsity 16 and over
- Scope
- Any scientific discipline - biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, earth science, astronomy, computer science, non-computational mathematics and the history of science
- Language
- Elementary and middle school may sit in English or Chinese. Junior varsity and varsity are English only
- Rounds
- Online qualifiers, then an on-site national round, then a world championship
- Qualifier
- 50 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes. Two marks for a correct answer, one deducted for a wrong one, nothing for a blank
- National round
- Four days at the start of May, in a buzzer format
- What the fee covers
- The examination, marking, invigilation, past papers and the certificate. The organisers state that they provide no training
- Refunds
- Requests before the registration deadline are refunded less 25% for academic materials and service. After the deadline, no refund
Before you register
Two rules that lock in at the qualifier.
Both are decided when you register and neither can be changed afterwards.
Your qualifier decides your national round
A student who qualifies in China takes the China national round; one who qualifies in England takes England’s. The rounds do not accept each other’s qualifiers.
And the language cannot be swapped
Competitors may not change the language they compete in once registered - the same rule the Geography Bee applies.
The world championship restriction
The source states that only competitors from the England national round are eligible for the World Championship. Given the sister competition restricts the global route by language rather than by country, confirm with the organiser what this actually means before assuming the route is open or closed.
Everything else is open
Any interested student may enter a qualifier, and the qualifying score is set from the results of everyone who sat it.
The qualifier
Same marking as the Geography Bee, same one-in-three rule.
Fifty questions in thirty minutes, marked two for a correct answer and minus one for a wrong one.
Answer above a one-in-three chance
Two marks gained against one lost gives an expected value of 3p − 1, which turns positive at one third. Ruling out a single option on a four-choice question brings you to break-even.
Thirty-six seconds a question
There is no time to deliberate, which is why the guessing rule is worth settling before the paper rather than during it.
Sat online
The qualifier rounds run online across several dates through the winter, so a student can choose when to sit.
And everyone gets something
Students who qualify receive an electronic qualification certificate, and everyone who takes part receives a participation certificate.
The buzzer round
Eight points and you are finished - which is the point.
The national round uses an unusual scoring system that rewards getting to a target fast rather than accumulating the most points.
One point a question, first correct answer only
Up to ten students compete in a room. Each correct answer scores one point, and only one student can score on any given question.
Three wrong answers kill the question
A student who answers wrongly cannot buzz again on that question. After three wrong answers the question is dead and the moderator moves on.
Only the third wrong answer can cost you
A first or second wrong answer carries no penalty. A third wrong answer costs one point only if it comes before the question has been read out completely - once it has been read in full, even the third carries no penalty.
Reach eight and take a speed bonus
A student who reaches eight points has finished the round, and earns up to seven further bonus points depending on how quickly they got there. Finishing early is worth more than continuing.
How the national round is structured
Three preliminaries, then a final.
The format differs by age group in the number of questions rather than the rules.
Thirty questions, or twenty-five
Varsity and junior varsity rounds carry 30 tossups each. Middle school and elementary rounds carry 25.
Everyone plays three preliminary rounds
Each regional final runs three to four preliminary rounds plus a final round. All students take three preliminaries regardless of how those go.
The top of each age group reach the final
Advancement is by age group, so a student competes only against their own band.
And about half qualify onward
Roughly the top 50% in each age group become eligible for the championship stage.
The awards
Given separately in every age group.
Because the groups are judged apart, a younger student is never measured against an older one.
Gold, silver and bronze
The three highest scorers in each age group take the national gold, silver and bronze awards.
A merit award for the top half
The leading 50% of each group receive a merit award, which is also the championship qualification threshold.
And a certificate for everyone
Every participating student receives a participation certificate at both the qualifier and the national round.
With no official training
The organisers state plainly that they provide no training. Past papers come with the entry fee; any coaching is independent of them.
Preparation
How Hanlin prepares students for ISB.
The qualifier and the buzzer round reward almost opposite things, and the eight-point rule changes the second entirely.
Settling the guessing threshold
One in three on the qualifier. Knowing it beforehand is worth several marks across fifty questions.
Playing for eight, not for the most
The buzzer round ends at eight points with a speed bonus attached. That makes early aggressive buzzing correct in a way it would not be if the round ran to time.
Understanding the three-strike rule
A first or second wrong answer is free. Knowing that changes when it is worth buzzing on a partial guess - and knowing when the third strike becomes costly changes it again.
And reading across all of science
Biology through to the history of science, with non-computational mathematics included. Breadth beats depth here, and the history of science is the area students most often ignore.
Why Hanlin
Preparation for ISB at Hanlin is taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
Programme formats
Five ways this is taught.
Group size is the whole difference between these. It decides how much of the tutor's attention a student gets and how far the course can bend to them, so it is worth choosing rather than accepting.
| Format | Group size | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| One-to-one | One student | Content, pace and emphasis set by what this student actually needs rather than by a syllabus. The only format that can be rebuilt mid-course. |
| Small group | Three to eight | Opens at three. Frequent discussion, and the tutor can slow down or move on according to what the group has absorbed. Most students chasing a higher award are taught in this one. |
| Class | Eight to twelve | Taught by the subject lead or a medal coach. Less back-and-forth, so it suits a student who will say when something is unclear. |
| Large class | Ten to twenty | For students in the middle of the placement range, and a way to try a competition before committing. Students often move to a small group or to one-to-one afterwards. |
| Past-paper class | No cap | Past papers worked through in sequence in the weeks before the sitting. Free to students already enrolled. |
Course length for ISB is set after a placement paper. The gap between where a student is and what the paper asks for is what the course has to close, and that gap is not the same for two students in the same year group.
How it runs
Six steps, four people on your side.
The same process for every student, so that nothing depends on one tutor remembering to do it.
Step 1Pre-course assessment
A placement paper before anything is booked, so the course tier is chosen on evidence rather than on a year group.
Step 2Tutor matching
A subject tutor is matched to the result, and their full background is provided before you agree to it.
Step 3Plan and group
A study group opens with four people on one student: the tutor, a planner, a supervisor and an academic manager.
Step 4Scheduled teaching
The teaching office sets the timetable around the competition date and school term, and teaching begins.
Step 5After-class reports
What was covered, and how the student handled it, reported after every lesson.
Step 6Homework follow-up
The teaching assistant and the form teacher both check that homework is done, which is where most preparation quietly fails.
Free resource pack
Motions and case-file pack
The same material our own ISB students work from. Scan the code, say what you need, and an advisor sends it.
Tell an advisor which competition and year group, and the material comes back the same day. Free, and you do not have to enrol in anything. If we do not already hold what you need, we will go and find it.
- PDFPast motions and topic areas
- DOCXA case-file template, ready to fill in
- PDFFormat, speaking times and the judging criteria
- PDFEntry checklist and the dates for the current cycle
Teaching team
Who would teach it.
Three of the twenty-two tutors on the published Hanlin roster - the ones whose subject this is.
Dr An
Mathematics at Illinois Urbana-Champaign with highest honours and the Elizabeth R. Bennett scholarship, then a PhD in mathematics at Johns Hopkins on full funding with the Owen fellowship and the Joel Dean award for excellent teaching. Years of US university teaching, translating high-level mathematics into language students can use.
Yu
Master's in bioinformatics and computational biology from UT Dallas and a nutritional sciences degree from Wisconsin-Madison. Second author on an SCI-indexed paper from the Tanumihardjo vitamin-A laboratory, and formerly at ABS Global.
Tan
Master's in data science from the University of Sydney after a statistics degree at Simon Fraser University, graduating in the top 5% with repeated chancellor's honours; A-Levels at a Cambridge international school, and formerly a data analyst at Tencent. An AMC-accredited coach, a College Board-accredited AP teacher, and holder of a Math League excellent-teacher award.
Where it is taught
Hanlin learning centres.
Teaching runs from Hanlin's own centres in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hangzhou, and online for students elsewhere.
Talk to an advisor
Everything Hanlin does for ISB, in one conversation.
Entry, planning, coaching and the past papers. An advisor will tell you which of these a student actually needs, including when the answer is none of them.
Competition entry and planning
Which competitions suit this student, in what order, and by when - then we handle the registration, including the ones that can only be entered through a school or a centre.
Competition coaching
Taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
International curriculum tutoring
IB, AP, A-Level, IGCSE and the US high school curriculum, taught alongside school and timed around the exam calendar.
Competition past papers, free
A large library of past papers, mark schemes and syllabus breakdowns across every competition on this site. No charge and no enrolment.
Scan to add an advisor
Say which competition or course you are asking about. Replies in Chinese or English.
Or call +86 21 6352 6630FAQ
ISB, briefly answered.
What students and families ask before entering.
Who can enter?
Primary, middle and high-school students, in four age groups - elementary under 12, middle school 12 to 14, junior varsity 14 to 16, and varsity 16 and over.
What language can I sit it in?
Elementary and middle school in English or Chinese. Junior varsity and varsity in English only. The language cannot be changed once registered.
What is the qualifier?
Fifty multiple-choice questions in thirty minutes, sat online. Two marks for a correct answer, one deducted for a wrong one, nothing for a blank.
Should I guess on the qualifier?
Answer if you think you have better than a one-in-three chance. The expected value is 3p − 1, so it turns positive at one third.
How does the buzzer round work?
Up to ten students in a room. Each correct answer scores one point and only one student can score per question. A wrong answer bars you from that question, and three wrong answers kill it.
When am I penalised for a wrong answer?
Only if you are the third student to answer wrongly and the question has not yet been read out in full. First and second wrong answers are free, and so is a third once the question has been completed.
What happens when I reach eight points?
Your round is finished, and you earn up to seven bonus points depending on how quickly you got there. Reaching eight early is worth more than playing on.
What subjects come up?
Any scientific discipline - biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, earth science, astronomy, computer science, non-computational mathematics and the history of science.
What awards are there?
Gold, silver and bronze for the top three in each age group at the national round, a merit award for the top 50%, and participation certificates for everyone.
Is training provided?
No. The organisers state that they provide no training. The fee covers the examination, marking, invigilation, past papers and the certificate.
Related
Other quiz and science competitions.
What students enter alongside ISB.
International Science Bee enquiries
Get to eight points fast. That is the whole game.
The buzzer round ends when you reach eight, with a bonus for speed - which makes it a very different competition from one that runs to time. Tell us the student’s age and an advisor will map the qualifier and the language choice.