A must-read for IG/AS students: What role do competitions play in your Oxford/Cambridge G5 application? How to choose | A roundup of high-quality competitions for the second half of the year!
Q:Are competitions important?
Both important and unimportant!
Competitions can be a valuable addition to your essay, enhancing the school’s recognition of your abilities beyond standardized tests.
More importantly, competitions increase your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, and enhance your test-taking experience.
Ability is paramount!
Key Competition Timelines
- June 30th Submission John Locke
- July-August Marshall Essay Competition
- October 10th SMC UK Mathematics Assessment (Advanced)
- November 5th BPhO UK Physics Olympiad
- November 8th iBO UK Biology Assessment (Intermediate)
- November 20th BMO UK Mathematics Assessment
- December 7th C3L6 Cambridge Chemistry Competition
- January 30th 2026 UKChO UK Chemistry Assessment
- April 6th 2026 BBO UK Biology Assessment
Competition Introduction
John Locke
The John Locke Writing Competition is an academic program organized by the John Locke Institute, an independent educational organization based in Oxford, in collaboration with professors from leading universities such as the University of Oxford and Princeton University.
Marshall Essay Competition
This global economics essay competition, hosted by the Marshall Society, the official economics society of the University of Cambridge, tests students’ logical thinking, critical thinking, and academic writing skills. It is widely recognized by top universities worldwide.
It’s a worthwhile competition for students applying to economics, business, or other humanities and social sciences programs.
Unlike the John Locke Essay Competition, which requires participants to be 18 or younger (14 or younger for the junior category), the Marshall Essay Competition has no age limit, allowing all high school students to actively demonstrate their essay writing skills.
Six official essay topics are announced, and participants must choose an economics essay. The essay must explain economic theory and related arguments, supporting original ideas with real-world evidence.
SMC UK Senior Mathematics Challenge
The SMC is hosted by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT) and is used to select participants for international mathematical olympiads.
The competition is divided into different levels: Junior Mathematics Challenge (JMC), Intermediate Mathematics Challenge (IMC), and Senior Mathematics Challenge (SMC).
Chinese students with generally strong abilities usually participate in the SMC. Prior to 2022, this was also the qualifying exam for the BMO, making it a suitable warm-up for the BMO.
Registration Deadline: October 2
Exam Date: October 10
Starting this year, the SMC will be paper-based, with online exams discontinued.
BMO British Mathematical Olympiad
The BMO, also under the UKMT umbrella, is a major UK competition in terms of scale, influence, and difficulty. It primarily serves as a reserve team for the UK team to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
It’s suitable for students majoring in mathematics.
Although other science and engineering majors are also worthy of the challenge.
The competition consists of two rounds: Round 1 and Round 2. Round 1 is relatively simple, while Round 2 is more advanced. Only candidates who achieve the best results in the first round qualify for the subsequent rounds.
Round 1 Exam Date: November 20
Registration Deadline: November 10
Exam Duration: 3 hours and 30 minutes
BPhO British Physics Olympiad
BPhO (full name: British Physics Olympiad) is organized by the British Physics Olympiad Committee and includes the BPhO main competition and the BPhO AS/IGCSE Challenge.
It is suitable for students majoring in physics, engineering, astronomy, and other subjects.
BPhO focuses on assessing students’ extended application of knowledge, and its syllabus overlaps with Oxford and Cambridge written exams such as the ESAT and PAT.
In particular, BPhO questions are generally set by professors from the Oxford Physics Department, so BPhO questions are often used in PAT preparation.
BPhO is divided into Round 1 and Round 2. Students who receive a Super Gold Award in Round 1 will be eligible for Round 2.
Round 1 exam time: 5:00 PM – 7:40 PM, November 5, 2025 (Wednesday)
This year’s exam policy has changed, limiting the number of applicants.
The first round of registration is only open to students who received a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Award in the 2025 UK Physics Assessment (Advanced) [SPC] and [SPC Online], and a Gold Award in the 2025 UK Physics Assessment (Intermediate) [IPC] and IPC Online.
So, if you’re planning to compete next year, don’t miss out!
SPC Online exam time: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, January 30, 2026
Registration deadline: January 20, 2026
Registration period:
1) First round registration: 5:00 PM, June 6, 2025 (Friday), closing date: August 1, 2025. 2) If there are still places after the first round, registration for the second round will open. The deadline is September 1, 2025.
3) If there are still places after the second round, registration for the third round will open. The deadline is September 2, 2025.
iBO UK Intermediate Biology Olympiad
The iBO (Intermediate Biology Olympiad) is organized by the Royal Society of Biology and is primarily for GCSE and AS-level students.
iBO is generally held as a preparatory event for the Advanced Biology Olympiad (BBO). Participation is particularly recommended for students in Year 1.
Students considering applying to related programs such as biology, medicine, and neuroscience, or those with an interest in biology, should consider this as a starting point.
Summary
Q: Did you notice that we’ve added next year’s competition to our timeline?
For chemistry and biology majors, the BBO and UKChO are more valuable and cover a wider range of topics than the iBO for Oxford and Cambridge G5 applications.
Of course, the UKChO and BBO are also more challenging. If you start preparing at the IG level, you can first participate in the iBO and C3L6 (similar to the iBO in chemistry) to learn more about the subject and prepare for the UKChO and BBO.
So, early preparation is crucial!!!
