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SOF International English Olympiad (IEO)
Class 1 to 12 (Level 2: Class 3 to 12) · run by Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) ↗
SOF's English olympiad, held in schools.
The facts, from the official site
- Level 1 dates 2026-27
- 30 September 2026, 27 October 2026 and 17 November 2026 (the school picks one). Source: sofworld.org ↗
- Pattern
- 60 minutes. 35 questions for Classes 1-4, 50 for Classes 5-12, multiple choice. Sections: Word and Structure Knowledge, Reading, Spoken and Written Expression, and an Achievers Section. Source: sofworld.org ↗
- Fee and registration
- ₹170 (GST included) per student per olympiad for schools in India; a school may add up to ₹30. Students register through their school, which acts as the exam centre. Source: sofworld.org ↗
Syllabus
SOF publishes a syllabus for each class. Official syllabus: sofworld.org ↗
Free official papers and pages
- SOF IEO syllabus, class by class ↗SOF's own syllabus page; pick your class (sofworld.org)
- SOF IEO free sample papers 2026-27 ↗SOF's own free PDF sample paper for each class, no login (sofworld.org)
- SOF IEO exam dates ↗The Level 1 dates SOF has announced for 2026-27 (sofworld.org)
How to use these papers
- Read the syllabus for your class first, then try one official paper under the real time limit, without help.
- Mark it with the official answer key, and list each question you got wrong by topic. That list is what to study next.
- Try the next paper a week or two later and compare which topics are still on your list.
- Your school registers you and tells you which of SOF's dates it has chosen.
Good to know
- Level 2 is open to Classes 3-12. SOF says it invites the top 5% of each class (internationally) from Level 1, the top 25 of each class in each zone, and each school's class topper who scores at least 50% where at least 10 students of that class sat the paper. SOF had not published the Level 2 dates on 23 Oct 2026; it says schools are told once they are fixed.
- SOF's sample-paper pages also advertise a publisher's paid practice books. Shishya does not copy or link those books; the sample papers linked here are SOF's own free PDFs.
Dates and updates for this exam on Shishya: SOF IEO exam page.
Read on the official sites on 23 Oct 2026. Dates can change; the conducting body's site is the final word.