Hornbill English Olympiad Competition
Hornbill English Olympiad Competition is a premier international-level English proficiency assessment. Designed to align with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), this competition evaluates students’ linguistic logic, vocabulary depth, and critical thinking skills through a standardized digital platform.
First Round Competition Info
Exam Date: 1-9-2026 Tuesday until 2-9-2026, Wednesday
** MUST join according to timetable
Registration Fee: Joining competition is FREE for selected Malaysia students.
Mode: Online competition
You need a computer equipped with functioning mic and camera with fast & stable internet connection.
Venue: at home / own place  ** quiet environment  ** plain background without any image or photo
Category: Year 1 (Standard 1) – Year 11 (Form 5) (According to school year after January 2026.)
The maximum number of participants for each category is as follows:
Primary school: standard 1 – 4, each 5 participants, standard 5 & 6, each 10 participants. A maximum of 40 participants from the same primary school.
Secondary school: Form 1 – 4, each 5 participants, Form 5 is 10 participants. A maximum of 30 participants from the same secondary school.
Registration is open from 1st August 2026 until 18th August 2026.
Registration is limited to 4000 participants only.
Registration will be closed earlier if the number of registrations reaches 4000 participants before the registration deadline.
Language Of Paper: English
Total Number Of Questions: 40 multiple choices questions
Time allowed to answer questions: 60 minutes
Important Notice:
Candidate has to complete the competition on his/her own.
Candidates are  NOT ALLOWED to use Calculator / dictionary / mobile phone / refer to any website or any material / get help or guidance from any one.
Candidates will be disqualified if perform any of the actions above.
Candidates who registered for Hornbill English Olympiad Competition 2026 but fail to attend without valid reason will be barred from participating competitions in year 2027.
In case of tied scores (in the same category), the participant with the shorter completion time will be ranked higher.
Final Round Competition Info
Platinum winner that are qualified will be invited to compete in the FINAL ROUND on 3-10-2026, 1pm-3pm.
** Not required to register again for the Final Round.
Exam Date: 3-10-2026 Saturday, 1pm-3pmÂ
** MUST join and submit answer before 3pm.
Registration Fee: Joining competition is FREEÂ
Mode: Online competition
You need a computer equipped with functioning mic and camera with fast & stable internet connection. [2nd device] One unit of mobile phone/tablet to join zoom online meeting.
Venue: at home / own place  ** quiet environment  ** plain background without any image or photo
Category: must join the same category as in First Round.Â
Language Of Paper: English
Total Number Of Questions: 40 multiple choices questions
Time allowed to answer questions: 60 minutes
Important Notice:
Candidate has to complete the competition on his/her own.
Candidates are  NOT ALLOWED to use Calculator / dictionary / mobile phone / refer to any website or any material / get help or guidance from any one.
Candidates will be disqualified if perform any of the actions above.
In case of tied scores (in the same category), the participant with the shorter completion time will be ranked higher.
First Round & Final Round Competition Timetable
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Students MUST join during the time windows given (on the date and time allowed only).
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There is NO reschedule/ NO replacement in any circumstances.
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System will open from on specific time on competition day.
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Need to submit answers before the paper close on that day.
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Syllabus
We do not provide sample questions or past year paper.Â
For revision, please refer to syllabus below or textbook.
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Coverage for each participant level is provided as a reference.
Syllabus Structure
The questions are designed to cover four main language domains:
- Vocabulary & Spelling: Focuses on word recognition, synonyms, antonyms, and the correct use of words in context.
- Grammar: Covers the use of tenses, prepositions, sentence structures, and subject-verb agreement.
- Reading Comprehension: Involves text analysis, information retrieval, understanding explicit and implicit ideas, and making inferences.
- HOTS & Idiomatic Expressions: Covers Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions, idioms, and proverbs.
MUST WATCH 2026 Competition Tutorial. Remember the Do and Don't
Award for First Round
Top 5 winners of each category will receive Special Award as listed below:
| Award | Award Defination | Will Receive |
| Johan | 1st place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Naib Johan | 2nd place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Tempat Ketiga | 3rd place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Tempat Keempat | 4th place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Tempat Kelima | 5th place within the same category. | e-certificate |
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Participants will be awarded based on their performance and ranking as follows:
| Award | Â | Will Receive |
| Platinum Award | Given to the top 5% of participants. | e-certificate |
| Gold Award | Given to the next 5% of participants. | e-certificate |
| Silver Award | Given to the next 10% of participants. | e-certificate |
| Bronze Award | Given to the next 20% of participants. | e-certificate |
| Honorable Mention | Given to the next 15% of participants. | e-certificate |
| Participation | Given to the remaining participants who joined the competition successfully. | e-certificate |
** Platinum winners that are qualified will be invited to compete in the FINAL ROUND on 3-10-2026, 1pm-3pm.
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Please take note:
** Participants who are did not complete the competition / did not join the competition successfully / disqualified will not receive any e-certificate.
** Participants who register the wrong category or attempt the wrong paper will be disqualified and will not receive any e-certificate.
** The organizer reserves the right to disqualify any participant and his or her result due to any violation or suspicious behaviour.
** Participants who are disqualified might not allowed to participate in future events.
** Any attempt to cheat during the exam will result in immediate disqualification and a permanent ban from all future Baxter competitions.Â
Award for Final Round
Top 5 winner of each category will receive Special Award as listed below:
| Award | Award Defination | Will Receive |
| Johan | 1st place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Naib Johan | 2nd place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Tempat Ketiga | 3rd place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Tempat Keempat | 4th place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Tempat Kelima | 5th place within the same category. | e-certificate |
| Participation | Given to the remaining participants who joined the competition successfully. | e-certificate |
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Please take note:
** Participants who are did not complete the competition / did not join the competition successfully / disqualified will not receive any e-certificate.
** Participants who register the wrong category or attempt the wrong paper will be disqualified and will not receive any e-certificate.
** The organizer reserves the right to disqualify any participant and his or her result due to any violation or suspicious behaviour.
** Participants who are disqualified might not allowed to participate in future events.
** Any attempt to cheat during the exam will result in immediate disqualification and a permanent ban from all future Baxter competitions.Â
About Hornbill English Olympiad Competition 2026 medal order for First Round
We will inform if there is any medals available open for order.Â
For candidate to check Registration:
Key in your IC number & Password to login.
Example: 120101010101 (do not key -)
Preparation before Competition & Exam Portal Link
Login Username format: HEOC+IC Number
👉 Example: IC number 180918101818 → Login ID = HEOC180918101818
Default password: 123456
** Both Mock and Actual competition will use the same account login and password.
** Exam account not yet ready. Can only ready for Mock exam start from 26-8-2026 10am.
📢 What to do now (before competition)?
1) Students MUST join Baxter Competition WhatsApp Channel to avoid missing important update. Link:Â https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbCouA24NViu6zGxWv0qÂ
2) Please like our facebook page so that you will not missed any update.
https://www.facebook.com/hornbillenglishmalaysia/
3) Mock exam access is available from 26-8-2026 10am until 31-8-2026, 11pm.
This is to help you get familiar with the system before the actual competition.
You can attempts the mock exam 3 times but same set of questions. There is No result or solution given for Mock exam.
4) For real competition, ⚠️ Reminder: Can only attempt ONCE (1 attempt). There will be NO re-take / NO reset / NO replacement / NO reschedule allowed during the actual competition under any circumstances. Join according to date and time allowed.
** To ensure that the sponsorship resources we worked hard to secure are used wisely and not wasted, any student who registers but is ABSENT without a valid reason CAN NOT participate in competitions year 2027.
5) You may change password after your first login.
6) Best device: Laptop with functioning Mic and Camera. Use latest version Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser.
7) DO NOT use Safari browser.
8) Always refer to website for competition info such as competition timetable, format and so on.
9) Check candidate details here:
For candidate to check Registration:
Key in your IC number & Password to login.
Example: 120101010101 (do not key -)
What to prepare for online competition?
What to prepare for online exam?
Exams are monitored through a camera system integrated into the exam platform. Students must use a device with an active, functioning camera and mic with stable internet connectivity throughout the exam. Meanwhile, the exam portal will also record the candidate screen activities for exam security during the exam. So you have to make sure your device, browser, internet connection, camera and screen sharing meet the technical requirements and are properly set up for a smooth and uninterrupted exam experience.
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Please note that we are unable to provide support for the following issues, as they are beyond our control:
- If the questions load slowly on the any student’s screen
- If a student experiences issues with the camera or screen sharing
- If a student receives a tab issue warning due to refreshing the page
- And similar individual user-related issues
In such cases, we do not have any administrative control or technical ability to intervene, as these are typically temporary, user-side problems. When we log into the student’s account and exam, in 99.9% of cases, we do not encounter any issues and see that the exam is ongoing. Therefore, students should quickly check their technical setup, refresh the page if necessary, and continue the exam as soon as possible.
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In which situations can we provide support and perform checks?
- If the exam icon shows missed or participated even though the exam time has not yet started
- If a student has forgotten their password.
- If the exam portal servers do not respond while attempting to connect to the exam portal (If it is a SERVER ERROR screen)
- If a qualified student’s exam icon do not appear in the exam portal
In such cases, our ADMIN TEAM and IT TEAM can be directly involved in the process, identify the issue, and provide an appropriate solution.
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Exam Rules
