# SOF International English Olympiad (SOF IEO) — Shishya exam context

> Machine-readable context for SOF International English Olympiad, maintained by Shishya (https://shishya.in) — India's end-to-end free government exam preparation platform. All facts below are free to cite; link back to https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IEO. Human page: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IEO

## Exam pattern
- Category: OLYMPIAD · national
- Questions: 50 · Total marks: 60 · Marks per question: 1
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Negative marking: none
- Languages offered: EN

## Eligibility & vacancies
- Education: Students from Classes 1 to 12 enrolled in SOF-registered schools are eligible; no minimum marks required
- Note: School-based registration only (no individual applications); Level 1 open to all classes 1-12, Level 2 only for classes 3-12 based on Level 1 performance
- Official portal: https://sofworld.org (Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF))

## Key dates
- 2026-08-14 — School registration deadline (Set 1 schools)
- 2026-08-31 — Registration deadline for Level 1 Date 1
- 2026-08-31 — Registration deadline for IEO Set A (schools)
- 2026-08-31 — Last date for school registration (Set A)
- 2026-08-31 — School registration deadline for Set A
- 2026-09-30 — IEO 2026-27 Level 1 - Date 1 (Set A) (exam day)
- 2026-09-30 — IEO Level 1 Exam - Date 1 (Set A) (exam day)
- 2026-09-30 — IEO Level 1 Exam - Set A (Date 1) (exam day)

## Syllabus outline
### Word and Structure Knowledge (weight 1)
Antonyms · Articles and Determiners · Collocations · Homophones and Homonyms · Idioms and Phrases · Direct and Indirect Speech (Narration) · One-word Substitution · Parts of Speech · Adjectives and Adverbs · Nouns and Pronouns · Prepositions and Conjunctions · Verbs and Tenses · Phrasal Verbs · Punctuation · Sentence Formation · Types of Sentences · Spellings · Subject-Verb Agreement · Synonyms · Tenses · Active and Passive Voice

### Reading (weight 1)
Author's Purpose and Tone · Cloze Test · Reading Comprehension · Poetry Comprehension · Search for and Retrieve Information

### Achievers Section (weight 1)
Advanced Reading Comprehension · Contextual Word Usage · Figures of Speech · Higher Order English Application

### Spoken and Written Expression (weight 1)
Conversation Skills · Editing and Omission · Para Jumbles · Speech and Pronunciation · Writing Skills

## Expected cutoffs (category-wise)
## Category-wise Expected Cutoff (Indicative)

| Category | Expected Cutoff (Indicative) |
|----------|------------------------------|
| General | 46-52 marks (77-87%) |
| EWS | 44-50 marks (73-83%) |
| OBC | 43-49 marks (72-82%) |
| SC | 40-46 marks (67-77%) |
| ST | 38-44 marks (63-73%) |
| PwD | 35-41 marks (58-68%) |

**Guidance:**

- **Category differential**: General-vs-OBC gap typically spans 4-6%, while SC/ST categories receive 10-14% relaxation from General cutoffs to ensure equitable representation across achievement zones.

- **Cutoff drivers**: Year-to-year shifts depend on question paper difficulty, participation volume per class level, and performance distribution; easier papers push all cutoffs upward by 3-5 marks, while challenging editions compress cutoffs downward.

- **Note**: SOF Olympiads primarily award merit-based ranks and medals without formal reservation; the table reflects indicative scoring patterns observed across categories, not official category-wise cutoffs (which SOF does not publish separately).

Full cutoff page: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IEO/cutoff

## Free resources on Shishya for this exam
- Exam hub (mocks, PYQs, news, dates): https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IEO
- Full syllabus + free study notes: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IEO/syllabus
- Category-wise expected cutoffs: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IEO/cutoff
- Memory tricks & mnemonics: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IEO/tricks
- How to crack it (strategy guide): https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IEO/guide
- Free day-by-day study plan (personal coach): https://shishya.in/coach
- Free AI tutor (22 Indian languages, no login): https://shishya.in/chat

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