Welcome to the De Beers English Olympiad Website
NB: Teachers are required to log in to view their school's entries and results.
2021 Call for Entries
Calling all English Olympiad enthusiasts! Entries are now open for the 46th National English Olympiad that is due to be held on Tuesday, 2 March 2021.
The Olympiad takes the form of an “open book” examination. The theme for 2021 is “People and Personas” and the prescribed anthology is entitled This is My Story. Candidates will enjoy a short selection of interesting writings that includes poetry, prose and a dramatic monologue.
The English Olympiad is open to all learners (HL and FAL English) who will be in Grades 9 - 12 in 2021, that is, those learners who are currently in Grades 8 - 11.
Entry fee: R90 per candidate
Closing date: 21 October 2020
Please click on the links below to download the 2021 Call for Entries and Entry Form:
Call for Entries - for information about the Olympiad, how to enter and prizes up for grabs.
Entry Form - please complete this form, and email or fax it to the Olympiad Officer before the closing date.
RESULTS for the 2020 English Olympiad now available!
The results for the 2020 English Olympiad are now available for teachers to view on this website. To view your school's results please log in with your Username and Password (contact the Olympiad Officer if you do not have these). Please note that ONLY teachers have these credentials and may log in the view results.
Congratulations to all candidates!
How to view your Olympiad results
Teachers must log in with their Username and Password. Once you have logged in, click on "Entries" in the grey task bar. Your candidates list should appear with symbols in the Results column next to the names of candidates who wrote the exam.
What the symbols mean:
D - Diamond (80% +)G - Gold (70-79%)
S - Silver (60-69%)
B - Bronze (50-59%)
M - Merit (40-49%)
P - Participation (0-39%)
U - Unclassified (did not complete paper / insufficient answers)
2020 Home Language (HL) TOP 20 in RANK ORDER!
Rank | Title | First name | Last name | School |
1 | Ms |
La'mia |
Dadabhay |
Roshnee Islamic School |
2 | Ms |
Holly |
Munks |
Durban Girls College |
3 | Ms |
Samira |
Salduker |
Durban Girls College |
4 | Mr | Jack |
Brand |
Fairmont High School |
5 | Ms | Samantha |
Collins |
St Mary's School, Waverley |
6 | Ms |
Gemma |
Mills |
Cornwall Hill College |
7 | Ms | Emma |
Craig |
St Mary's School, Waverley |
8 | Ms | Colombe |
Obono Eyono |
Westville Girls' High School |
9 | Ms | Lilitha |
Nkuhlu |
St Anne's Diocesan College |
10 | Mr | Andi |
Qu |
St John's College |
11 | Mr | Johann |
Kok |
Pretoria Boys' High School |
12 | Mr | James |
Thompson |
St Dunstan's College |
13 | Ms | Gabriella |
Hoskins |
Parktown High School for Girls |
14 | Ms | Maria Jagoda |
Simpson |
Cornwall Hill College |
15 | Ms | Jordyn |
Soldin |
York High School |
16 | Ms | Sesame |
Modise |
Maru-A-Pula School |
17 | Mr | Francois |
Kemp |
Camps Bay High School |
18 | Ms | Lucy |
Hunt |
Our Lady of Fatima Dominican Convent |
19 | Ms | Natasha |
Stern |
St Anne's Diocesan College |
20 | Ms | Jessica |
Pitout |
St Anne's Diocesan College |
Rank | Title | First Name | Surname | School |
1 | Ms | Tinyko |
Jeleni |
Khanyisa Education Centre |
2 | Ms | Marli |
du Preez |
DF Malherbe High School |
3 | Mr | Tsianda |
Netsianda |
Mbilwi Secondary School |
4 | Ms | Kwenama |
Mkhize |
Zenex - Izimpande Zokukhanya |
5 | Ms | Yanga |
Jonas |
Maths and Science Leadership Academy |
6 | Mr | Samuel |
Mamaphomolo |
Machabeng College Lesotho |
7 | Ms | Alethea |
Vermeulen |
Swartland High School |
8 | Ms | Kayla |
Craddock |
Otto du Plessis High School |
9 | Mr | Jason |
Parker |
Otto du Plessis High School |
10 | Mr | Mukundi |
Mushaphi |
Mbilwi Secondary School |
11 | Ms | Uzwothe |
Mthombeni |
Mbilwi Secondary School |
12 | Ms | Nhlayiseko |
Baloyi |
Khanyisa Education Centre |
13 | Ms | Liyema |
Zaza |
Woolhope Secondary School |
14 | Ms | Nyiko |
Shitlhavani |
Khanyisa Education Centre |
15 | Ms | Boineelo |
Mankwe |
Vryburg High School |
16 | Ms | Bongeka |
Mvelase |
Zenex - Izimpande Zokukhanya |
17 | Ms | Mengezi |
Luthuli |
Mlokothwa High School |
18 | Ms | Anrone |
Relihan |
Hoërskool Garsfontein |
19 | Ms | Dimakatso | Thoka | Leap Science and Maths School, Benmore |
2020 Study Guide Memo
Please note that the answers offered are suggestions and other responses may be valid.
Answers have only been supplied for the individual work questions. Group questions should vary greatly in responses.
Click on the link below to access the Study Guide Memo:
Saul Musker, 2nd place in the 2012 English Olympiad, reflects on writing the exam:
Isaac Asimov, the celebrated American science fiction writer, once declared: ‘If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I'd type a little faster.’ Reading this quote, my mind wandered to the top-corridor English classroom where I recently wrote my last English Olympiad, with Mrs Leaver’s voice in the distance: ‘Six minutes left, everyone! Hurry along!’ Six minutes left! Lord have mercy! It wasn’t that I was worried about time; I had just finished my last piece, and was about to give it a final read-over. No; I owed my despair instead to the realisation that I would never write another Olympiad. For me, the Olympiad is more than just another exam or competition. It is protected time for creativity; a dedicated three hours devoted to writing. I only wish I could write one every day, to escape the usual chaos of our existence, to let the ink pour out of my grateful mind. F Scott Fitzgerald observed that ‘all good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.’ So dive, ye stranger! Submerge yourself in the cool green waters of your imagination, of the English language, of this moment in time!
News and Updates
- 2021 ENGLISH OLYMPIAD open for entries - download the Call for Entries and Entry Form.
- The theme for the 2021 English Olympiad is "People and Personas", and the anthology is entitled This is My Story.
- Results for the 2020 English Olympiad are available! Please log in with your English Olympiad username and password to view your school's results. Click on Entries in the grey task bar. You will see the symbol/result next to each candidate's name if they wrote.
- 2020 CERTIFICATES will be posted to all schools by end of September 2020.
- HELP for English Teachers! See Teaching English Today by clicking here for more information.
- Find past exam papers, English exercises, study inspiration or guidance for First Additional Language students by going to the "Exam Materials" tab at the top of this website for past exam papers and FAL Study Guides. You may wish to visit A DICTIONARY OF SOUTH AFRICAN ENGLISH at: http://dsae.co.za/
- OLYMPIAD OFFICE:
- 046 603 1145
(09h00-16h30)
- Email: olympiad@foundation.org.za
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
The English Olympiad is a joint project between the Grahamstown Foundation, the South African Council for English Education (SACEE) and De Beers.
Grahamstown Foundation
For information about other Grahamstown Foundation Arts Education projects, please visit:
http://schoolsfestival.wordpress.com/
and
http://www.foundation.org.za/#
South African Council for English Education
South African Council for English Education (SACEE) National Website: http://www.sacee.org.za/
Prize partner and sponsor
Rhodes University has
sponsored the Top 50 Scholarships
for over 15 years.
www.ru.ac.za