Warwick to host the IBO 2017
In 2017 the School of Life Sciences will be proud to host both the national and international biology olympiads. This will be our fourth year hosting the British Biology Olympiad (BBO) and it is the first time that the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) has ever been held in the UK. Working in collaboration with the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) we will deliver a series of practical and theoretical tests to the brightest young biologists in the world. Over 200 students from 70 countries will come to the University of Warwick in July 2017, where they will stay with us for a week and take part in the competition.
The IBO 2017 team is seeking volunteers in helping run and organise this prestigious event. If you are interested in helping as part of the team please contact
In 2016 Professor Kevin Moffat and Dr Leanne Williams journeyed to Hanoi (Vietnam) as part of the UK team to take part in the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) and to make preparations for hosting the event in 2017. Around 250 young biologists (between 14-18 years old) from 70 countries competed for gold, silver and bronze medals in a series of practical and theoretical exams.
Here is a day to day breakdown of the IBO to give an idea of what the event involves:
Day 1- The Opening Ceremony
On the first day is the opening ceremony, where local songs and dances, as well as an Olympics style flag parade of the member countries are performed. An oath swearing from both students and examiners also occurs, with both parties committing to not cheat. Finally, there is a opening banquet with local delicacies.
Day 2 - Viewing of practical kit by the Jury
Kevin and Leanne acted as jury members for the UK. This involves the translation of exams into readable English and then debating the science behind the practical and theoretical exams that each student has to take part in. This is a difficult process that often leads to heated debates in the jury room.
Before the practical exams all of the jury are allowed to examine the practical kit that would be used by the students to ensure that it is of a good enough standard and free from faults.
Day 3 - Student practical exams
This is the first day of competitive exams for the students. Undertaking degree level practicals these young biologists have to complete microbiology, botany, molecular biology and biochemistry experiments. It is a gruelling and difficult process that lasts an entire day and really tests the students to the limits of their biological knowledge. These practicals are of a really high difficulty level and it is impressive to see the professionalism and intelligence displayed by the students.
Day 4 - Theoretical exams
After the hectic practical exam sessions the theoretical exams follow. There are two papers, each an hour and a half long. Security for this is strict to ensure there is no cheating. In Vietnam they even had CCTV cameras watching each student to ensure they did not cheat. Success in these exams can make a huge difference to the lives of the students involved with some countries awarding scholarships to top universities on the basis of a gold or silver IBO medal.
Day 5 - Jury deliberation of results and arguing over exams
Day 5 is a tough one. Whilst the students head off and have fun exploring now that the competitive stage for them is over, the jury have to spend an entire day debating the results and student marks.
Day 6 - River boating trip, Pagodas, Ho Chi Min museum and the Cultural Night
After the madness of the 5 days the jury are allowed a day of rest and cultural exploration before the final day and awards ceremony. In Vietnam, Kevin and Leanne went boating around World Heritage sites of Trang An and saw a spectacular mountain, Buddhist temples and local pagodas. Finally in the evening they were treated to performances from various country teams during cultural night celebrations.
Day 7 - Closing ceremony and awards
Finally, after a long, hard and enjoyable week it is time for the closing ceremony. Akin to the Olympics, gold, silver and bronze medals are presented to students and several performances involving song and dance also take place. This year the UK received three silver medals and a bronze for which our students were really pleased. Kevin and Leanne are looking forward to welcoming students to the UK when we host next year.