Syllabus and pattern
- Preparatory material will be supplied on registration to the registered students at every level; questions will be based on the provided material for that particular level
- The participants who secure 60% and above in every level written test will proceed to next level of the competition
- Word list for the written test will not be shared with any participants till the exam time. The written test will have questions from the material (Booklet) provided to participants.
- The qualifiers would be announced with the marks scored in every round of the specified level of competition.
- Exam papers will not be given to parents or participants.
- Only the judges, pronouncers and specified volunteers are allowed in the exam hall. No spectators are permitted in the exam hall.
Syllabus & Category
Category 1 & 2
Only written test
Category 1 & 2
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DICTATION ROUND | 15 |
| 2 | IDENTIFY THE CORRECT SPELLING | 10 |
| 3 | PICTURE IDENTIFICATION | 10 |
| 4 | RHYMING WORDS | 5 |
| 5 | MISSING LETTERS | 5 |
Syllabus for School Level Category 1 & 2
(1st Round) DICTATION ROUND
Instructions
This is the first round in the competition. The pronounced utters (tells) 15 words, for which the contestant (students) will have to write down the correct spelling. The spellers must write the answers in capital letters only. Each correct word spelling carries one mark. The contestant is advised to study the list of words given along with the pictures.
(2nd Round) IDENTIFY THE CORRECT SPELLING
Instructions
A contestant will be given three different spellings for a word. The contestants have to identify the correct spelling. Ten marks for ten words.
(3rd Round) IDENTIFYING THE PICTURE
Instructions
The contestant have to identify the picture and write the name of the picture in capital letters with correct spelling. Ten pictures will be given, each carrying one mark.
(4th Round) RHYMING WORDS
Instructions
Contestant will be given some words in two sets, they have to match the rhyming words, five pairs will be given, and each correct answer carries one mark.
(5th Round) MISSING LETTERS
Instructions
Contestants will get some words from the word list in which one or two letters will be missing. They have to fill up the blanks with the right letters. Ten marks for ten words.
Only written test
The written test of the district level will also be in the same pattern with some additional rounds , following are the additional rounds to the school level rounds
Category 1 & 2
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | COMPLETE THE SENTENCE WITH APPROPRIATE WORD | 10 |
| 7 | GIVE OPPOSITES | 05 |
| 8 | CHOOSE THE CORRECT MEANING | 10 |
Syllabus for District Level Category 1 & 2
(6th Round) COMPLETE THE SENTENCE WITH APPROPRIATE WORD
Instructions
The contestants are given ten sentences with a blank. Four options are suggested for each sentence. They have to choose the most appropriate word from the given options. They have to write out the word completely in the sheet provided to them. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(7th Round) OPPOSITE WORDS
Instructions
In this round, five words will be given. Contestant will have to write the words with opposite meanings to the given words. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(8th Round) CHOOSE THE CORRECT MEANING
Instructions
In this round, the contestant will be given ten words along with their meanings. They have to select the meaning and match it with the word. Correct answer carries one mark.
Some more rounds of the competition are added to the District level rounds in this level
Additional rounds are as follows
Category 1 & 2
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | CORRECT THE SPELLING | 05 |
| 10 | JUMBLED SENTENCES | 10 |
| 11 | CORRECT THE SENTENCE | 05 |
Syllabus for State Level Category 1 & 2
(9th Round) CORRECT THE SPELLING
Instructions
In this round, a few words are given in which one letter is wrong. Contestants have to find out the wrong letter and correct its spelling. To guide the students towards the right answer, the meaning of the word will be given. Words will be chosen from the word list supplied (from dictation round).
(10th Round) JUMBLED SENTENCES
Instructions
Contestants will be given ten jumbled sentences. Read the sentences carefully. Arrange the words in the correct order to make a meaningful sentence. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(11th Round) CORRECT THE SENTENCE
Instructions
In this round the Contestants are provided with five sentences with little grammatical errors, they have to correct each of the sentences and rewrite the corrected sentence. Each corrected sentence carries one mark.
National level Spelling Bee competition will be in 2 phases.
Category 1 & 2
| Phases |
|---|
| 1. The first phase is Written Spelling Competition (Closed room) |
| 2. The second phase is Oral Spelling Competition (On the stage) |
Syllabus for National Level Category 1 & 2
Written test Competition
All the same rounds which are in the state level written test would be repeated in the National level written test
Oral Round
- READING
- PHONETICS
- ORAL SPELLINGS
Top 50 participants from the written test from every category are eligible for the Oral competition.
Initially the oral competition comprises of two rounds which all the 50 participants go through these rounds.
Category 1 & 2
| S.NO | Round | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | READING | 10 |
| 13 | PICTURE IDENTIFICATION & SPELLING | 20 |
Syllabus for Oral Rounds - Level Category 1 & 2
- READING
- PICTURE IDENTIFICATION SPELLING
- ORAL SPELLINGS
(12th Round) Reading
in this round 10 words would be shown to the participant, the words have to be pronounced correctly. With each correct pronunciation the participants score ‘1’ mark This round carries 10 marks.
(13th Round) Picture Identification & Spelling
in this round 10 words would be shown to the participant, the words have to be pronounced correctly. With each correct pronunciation the participants score ‘1’ mark This round carries 10 marks.
Category 3 & 4
Only written test
Category 3 & 4
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DICTATION ROUND | 15 |
| 2 | JUMBLED LETTERS | 10 |
| 3 | FILL IN THE BLANK WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORD | 10 |
| 4 | CORRECT THE SPELLING | 5 |
Syllabus for School Level Category 3 & 4
(1st Round) DICTATION ROUND
Instructions
This is the first round in the competition. The pronouncer utters (tells) some words for which the spellers (students) will have to write down the correct spelling. The spellers must write the answers in capital letters only. Contestants will be given 15 words at school level each carrying one mark. Contestants are advised to study the list of words given along with the pictures.
(2nd Round) JUMBLED LETTERS
Instructions
Contestants are given some words with in-correct spelling. They have to make up a meaningful word using all the letters in the given jumbled word .They should not add or delete any letter in the original word. Ten jumbled words will be given carrying one mark each.
(3rd Round) FILL IN THE BLANK WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORD
Instructions
FILLING IN BLANKS WITH APPROPRIATE WORD the Contestants are given ten sentences with a blank. Four options are suggested for each sentence. They have to choose the most appropriate word from the given options. They have to write out the word completely in the sheet provided to them. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(4th Round) CORRECT THE SPELLING
Instructions
CORRECT THE SPELLING In this round, a few words are given in which one letter is wrong. Contestants have to find out the wrong letter and correct its spelling. To guide the students towards the right answer, the meaning of the word will be given. Words will be chosen from the word list supplied (from dictation round).
Only written test
The written test of the district level will also be in the same pattern with some additional rounds, following are the additional rounds to the school level rounds.
Category 3 & 4
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | WORD BUILDING | 10 |
| 6 | SCRAMBLED SENTENCES | 05 |
| 7 | GIVE MEANING | 05 |
| 8 | HOMOPHONES | 10 |
| 9 | PLACE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER | 05 |
Syllabus for District Level Category 3 & 4
(5th Round) WORD BUILDING
Instructions
WORD BUILDING Contestants will be given some words from which they have to make as many meaningful words as possible. They have to use only the letters in the given word and use each letter once only or as many times as it occurs in the given word. Repetition or excessive use of letters not allowed. Each word should have at least four or more letters. Four words will be given each carrying two and half marks and students have to make at least five meaningful words to score full marks.
(6th Round) SCRAMBLED SENTENCES
Instructions
Contestants will be given five scrambled sentences. Read the sentences carefully. Arrange the words in the correct order to make a meaningful sentence. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(7th Round) GIVE MEANING
Instructions
In this round five words will be given. Contestants will have to give the definition of that word EXAMPLE: NEUROSIS: A Mental illness resulting in high levels of anxiety.
(8th Round) HOMOPHONES
Instructions
FILL IN THE BLANKS WIHT APPROPRIATE HOMOPHONES in this round the Contestants are given five pairs of sentences each of them with a blank. Two options are suggested for filling in blanks in pair of sentences. They have to choose the most appropriate homophone from the given options. They have to write out the word completely in the blank provided to them. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(9th Round) PLACE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Instructions
In this round five words will be given. Contestants will have to we arrange the given words in their alphabetical order. Each correct answer carries one mark. Words will be chosen from the word list supplied (from dictation round).
Some more rounds of the competition are added to the District level rounds in this level.
Additional rounds are as follows
Category 3 & 4
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | WORD SUBSTITUTION | 05 |
| 11 | PHRASAL VERBS | 10 |
| 12 | WORD APPLICATIONS | 05 |
| 13 | CORRECT THE GIVEN SENTENCE | 05 |
Syllabus for State Level Category 3 & 4
(10th Round) WORD SUBSTITUTION
Instructions
Five sentences will be given. Read them carefully. Then substitute/replace the underlined word in each sentence with suitable options suggested. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(11th Round) PHRASAL VERBS
Instructions
This is the eleventh round in the competition the Contestant will be provided with five phrasal verbs, the student has to use each of the phrasal verbs and make suitable sentence to bring out its meaning. Each correct sentence carries one mark. The Contestants is provided with a list of phrasal verbs, their meanings and their usage in the form of an example in this booklet.
(12th Round) CORRECT CORRECT THE SENTENCE
Instructions
This is the thirteenth round in the competition. Contestants are provided with five sentences with grammatical errors, he has to correct each of the sentences and rewrite the corrected sentence. Each corrected sentence carries one mark.
(13th Round) CORRECT CORRECT THE SENTENCE
Instructions
This is the thirteenth round in the competition. Contestants are provided with five sentences with grammatical errors, he has to correct each of the sentences and rewrite the corrected sentence. Each corrected sentence carries one mark.
National level Spelling Bee competition will be in 2 phases.
Category 3 & 4
| Phases |
|---|
| 1. The first phase is Written Spelling Competition (Closed room) |
| 2. The second phase is Oral Spelling Competition (On the stage) |
Syllabus for National Level Category 1 & 2
Written test Competition
All the same rounds which are in the state level written test would be repeated in the National level written test
Oral Round
- READING
- PHONETICS
- ORAL SPELLINGS
Oral Competition
Top 50 participants from the written test from every category are eligible for the Oral competition.
Initially the oral competition comprises of two rounds which all the 50 participants go through these rounds.
Category 3 & 4
| S.NO | Round | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | READING | 10 |
| 15 | PHONETICS | 20 |
Syllabus for Oral Rounds - Level Category 3 & 4
Reading round
In this round 10 words would be shown to the participant, the words have to be pronounced correctly. With each correct pronunciation the participants score ‘1’ mark This round carries 10 marks.
(14th Round) Reading
in this round 10 words would be shown to the participant, the words have to be pronounced correctly. With each correct pronunciation the participants score ‘1’ mark This round carries 10 marks.
(15th Round) Phonetic
A phonetic transcription of ten words would be given to the participants, they have to identify and spell the given word. The right identification would give them 1 mark and the correct spelling another mark, the total marks allotted for this round are 20 marks.
Oral spellings
Depending up on the marks scored in the initial two rounds, 30 participants would be selected for the next round in which a set of 5 five words would be given, for which they have to give correct spellings at least for 3 of the given words .In this round the number of participants would be brought down to 15 based on elimination.
All these top 15 students would enter the final round and they would be invited on to the dais for the most interesting as well as challenging round all these contestants would have called up on dais.
The participants will randomly choose numbered cards. This card will be worn about the neck and will determine the order in which students compete in each category. They will also be used for participant’s identification by the judging panel.
There may not be any practice rounds in the competition.
In the first round a set of three words would be given and the contestants need to spell at least 2 correctly. All the participants who give two correct spellings would remain on dais.
Only the judges, pronouncers and specified volunteers are allowed on the dais. No spectators or video/photographers other than VOLKS Spelling bee representatives are permitted on the dais.
Category 5 & 6
Only written test
Category 5 & 6
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DICTATION ROUND | 15 |
| 2 | JUMBLED LETTERS | 10 |
| 3 | FILL IN THE BLANK WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORD | 10 |
| 4 | CORRECT THE SPELLING | 5 |
Syllabus for School Level Category 5 & 6
(1st Round) DICTATION ROUND
Instructions
This is the first round in the competition. The pronouncer utters (tells) some words for which the spellers (students) will have to write down the correct spelling. The spellers must write the answers in capital letters only. Contestants will be given 15 words at school level each carrying one mark. Contestants are advised to study the list of words given along with the pictures.
(2nd Round) JUMBLED LETTERS
Instructions
Contestants are given some words with in-correct spelling. They have to make up a meaningful word using all the letters in the given jumbled word .They should not add or delete any letter in the original word. Ten jumbled words will be given carrying one mark each.
(3rd Round) FILL IN THE BLANK WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORD
Instructions
In the Contestants are given ten sentences with a blank. Four options are suggested for each sentence. They have to choose the most appropriate word from the given options. They have to write out the word completely in the sheet provided to them. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(4th Round) CORRECT THE SPELLING
Instructions
In this round, a few words are given in which one letter is wrong. Contestants have to find out the wrong letter and correct its spelling. To guide the students towards the right answer, the meaning of the word will be given. Words will be chosen from the word list supplied (from dictation round).
Only written test
The written test of the district level will also be in the same pattern with some additional rounds, following are the additional rounds to the school level rounds.
Category 5 & 6
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | WORD BUILDING | 10 |
| 6 | SCRAMBLED SENTENCES | 05 |
| 7 | GIVE MEANING | 05 |
| 8 | HOMOPHONES | 10 |
| 9 | PLACE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER | 05 |
Syllabus for District Level Category 5 & 6
(5th Round) WORD BUILDING
Instructions
WORD BUILDING Contestants will be given some words from which they have to make as many meaningful words as possible. They have to use only the letters in the given word and use each letter once only or as many times as it occurs in the given word. Repetition or excessive use of letters not allowed. Each word should have at least four or more letters. Four words will be given each carrying two and half marks and students have to make at least five meaningful words to score full marks.
SCRAMBLED SENTENCES (6th Round)
Instructions
Contestants will be given five scrambled sentences. Read the sentences carefully. Arrange the words in the correct order to make a meaningful sentence. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(7th Round) GIVE MEANING
Instructions
In this round five words will be given. Contestants will have to give the definition of that word EXAMPLE : NEUROSIS: A Mental illness resulting in high levels of anxiety
(8th Round) HOMOPHONES
Instructions
FILL IN THE BLANKS WIHT APPROPRIATE HOMOPHONES in this round the Contestants are given five pairs of sentences each of them with a blank. Two options are suggested for filling in blanks in pair of sentences. They have to choose the most appropriate homophone from the given options. They have to write out the word completely in the blank provided to them. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(9th Round) PLACE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Instructions
In this round five words will be given. Contestants will have to we arrange the given words in their alphabetical order. Each correct answer carries one mark. Words will be chosen from the word list supplied (from dictation round).
Some more rounds of the competition are added to the District level rounds in this level.
Additional rounds are as follows
Category 5 & 6
| S.NO | ROUND NAME | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | PHRASAL VERBS | 10 |
| 11 | WORD APPLICATIONS | 05 |
| 12 | CORRECT THE GIVEN SENTENCE | 05 |
| 13 | IDIOMS | 05 |
Syllabus for State Level Category 5 & 6
(10th Round) WORD SUBSTITUTION
Instructions
Five sentences will be given. Read them carefully. Then substitute/replace the underlined word in each sentence with suitable options suggested. Each correct answer carries one mark.
(11th Round) PHRASAL VERBS
Instructions
This is the eleventh round in the competition the Contestant will be provided with five phrasal verbs, the student has to use each of the phrasal verbs and make suitable sentence to bring out its meaning. Each correct sentence carries one mark. The Contestants is provided with a list of phrasal verbs, their meanings and their usage in the form of an example in this booklet.
(12th Round) WORD APPLICATIONS
(13th Round) CORRECT CORRECT THE SENTENCE
Instructions
This is the thirteenth round in the competition. Contestants are provided with five sentences with grammatical errors, he has to correct each of the sentences and rewrite the corrected sentence. Each corrected sentence carries one mark.
(14th Round) IDIOMS
Instructions
This is the fourteenth round in the competition. The Contestants are provided with ten idioms, the student has to make a sentence with each of the idioms given bringing out its meaning each correctsentence carries one mark.
National level Spelling Bee competition will be in 2 phases.
Category 5 & 6
| S.NO | Phases |
|---|---|
| 1 | The first phase is Written test Competition |
| 2 | The second phase is Oral Spelling Competition |
Syllabus for National Level Category 3 & 4
Written test Competition
All the rounds which are in the state level written test would be repeated in the National level written test
Oral SpellingCompetition
Top 50 participants from the written test from every category are eligible for the Oral competition.
Oral Competition
Top 50 participants from the written test from every category are eligible for the Oral competition.
Initially the oral competition comprises of two rounds which all the 50 participants go through these rounds.
Category 5 & 6
| S.NO | Round | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | READING | 10 |
| 15 | PHONETICS | 20 |
Syllabus for Oral Rounds - Level Category 5 & 6
(14th Round) Reading
in this round 10 words would be shown to the participant, the words have to be pronounced correctly. With each correct pronunciation the participants score ‘1’ mark This round carries 10 marks.
(15th Round) Phonetics
A phonetic transcription of ten words would be given to the participants, they have to identify and spell the given word. The right identification would give them 1 mark and the correct spelling another mark, the total marks allotted for this round are 20 marks.
Oral spellings
Depending up on the marks scored in the initial two rounds, 30 participants would be selected for the next round in which a set of 5 five words would be given, for which they have to give correct spellings at least for 3 of the given words .In this round the number of participants would be brought down to 15 based on elimination.
All these top 15 students would enter the final round and they would be invited on to the dais for the most interesting as well as challenging round all these contestants would have called up on dais.
The participants will randomly choose numbered cards. This card will be worn about the neck and will determine the order in which students compete in each category. They will also be used for participant’s identification by the judging panel.
There may not be any practice rounds in the competition.
In the first round a set of three words would be given and the contestants need to spell at least 2 correctly. All the participants who give two correct spellings would remain on dais.
Only the judges, pronouncers and specified volunteers are allowed on the dais. No spectators or video/photographers other than VOLKS Spelling bee representatives are permitted on the dais.