Round 2 2021

Who?

This year, unlike all previous years, Round 2 will be held in schools, with the usual invigilation by a teacher, and it will be open to anyone who wins a Gold certificate in the Advanced competition at Round 1.

When?

• Wednesday March 17.
• The competition lasts for three hours, so it needs an uninterrupted period of three hours. To ensure security, this period should include 2.00 pm, but otherwise you can choose when to start.

Why?

As in previous years, the Round 2 competition will select the UK squad for the International Linguistics Olympiad.

How?

• The test is an invigilated individual test like the Round 1 Advanced competition.
• It will consist of five problems in PDF format which can be printed out, scanned and returned to the teacher, who will then pass it on to UKLO for marking.
  

Coaching

We offer some coaching for all participants, which we strongly recommend as the problems will be somewhat different from those included in Round 1; in particular, some of them will ask for an explanation. The coaching will be provided by Professor Graeme Trousdale of Edinburgh University, and one of the two Vice-Chairs of UKLO. It will consist of

• Homework: Two puzzles a week – one from a previous Round 2, one from the collection used in Edinburgh university – to be prepared for the weekly session. You may, if you wish, submit your answers for marking.
• Weekly sessions: 5.15-6.15pm on Tuesday 2, 9 and 16 March, via Teams.
  • These will require the competitors to be registered with an individual email address (possibly that of a parent).
  • They will focus on the week’s problems, and will include the complete solution to each problem.
• Individual support: competitors can contact Graeme for guidance via coaching@uklo.org.

Safeguarding.  Graeme has acted as tutor at many of the residential Round 2 events over the years so he has DBS clearance.

• Weekly sessions:
  • He will conduct these with all cameras switched off
  • and with a second DBS-checked tutor from the UKLO committee (Neil Sheldon, the other Vice-Chair) in attendance, along with any teacher who would like to monitor the event.
  • The sessions will not be recorded, and the entire Team will be deleted at the end of the Round 2 competition.
• Individual support:
  • All incoming email on coaching@uklo.org will be directed automatically to Neil as well as to Graeme.
  • Where pupils’ email addresses cannot be used, individual correspondence can be sent to the teacher instead.