Format
Competition format
Two rounds, both individual, both closed-book. Here is exactly what to expect.
Round 1
Online round
Saturday, 5 December 2026
- Where
- Online, from anywhere in Sri Lanka
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Questions
- 25 multiple choice, increasing in difficulty
- Language
- Sinhala, English or Tamil
- Entry
- Free, open to all school students
You sit the online round on our competition platform, using any computer or tablet with a browser and a reasonable internet connection. Login details are emailed to every registered contestant several days beforehand, together with a short practice paper so that nothing about the interface is a surprise on the day.
The paper is released at the start of the window and your two hours begin when you open it. Every question is multiple choice with exactly one correct answer, and you can change any answer up to the moment you submit. Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so leave nothing blank.
If your connection drops, the platform keeps your answers and your remaining time. If you cannot get online at all, contact us before the day and we will arrange a supervised centre where possible.
Round 2
Onsite final
Late January 2027; exact date to be announced
- Where
- Colombo
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Problems
- 5 problems, written by hand
- Who
- At most 30 highest scorers from Round 1
- Cost
- Free
The final is a written paper sat under supervision in Colombo. Contestants receive the paper in the language they registered in, and may ask for the other versions at any time.
The final is harder than the online round and rewards explanation: several problems ask you to state the rule you found, not only to apply it. Partial credit is given generously for correct reasoning that does not reach the final answer.
Results, full solutions and the mark distribution are published within two weeks of the final.
After the final
Training and the national team
Finalists are invited to a training programme running from February 2027: online sessions, past international papers, and marked practice with feedback. It is free.
The national team of four is selected from the training group on performance in selection tests, and represents Sri Lanka at the International Olympiad in Linguistics in Bangkok in 2027.
Rules
- Both rounds are individual. You may not discuss the problems with anyone, in any form, while the round is open.
- No books, notes, websites, dictionaries or AI assistants. Nothing external is needed: every problem is self-contained by design.
- Blank paper and a pen for rough work are allowed and encouraged in both rounds.
- Calculators are not needed and are not allowed. No problem requires arithmetic beyond what you can do on paper.
- One entry per person. Registering more than once, or sitting the paper on behalf of someone else, disqualifies both accounts.
- Do not share or publish the problems until the organisers release them publicly, which happens shortly after each round.
Marking
The online round is marked out of 25, one mark a question, with nothing deducted for a wrong answer. Each problem in the final is worth 20 marks, marked against a scheme written with the problem and published afterwards with the solutions.
In the final, marks are given for the reasoning as well as the answer. A correct rule with one slip in applying it scores far more than a right answer with no working where working was asked for.
Ties for the last qualifying places are broken by score on the later questions, then by the fastest submission time.
Access and accommodations
If you need extra time, a screen reader, large print, a supervised venue, or any other arrangement, write to us at least two weeks before the round and we will make it work. Nobody is asked to justify a need in detail.