BRITISH PHYSICS OLYMPIAD
http://www.BPhO.org.uk
September 2010
Dear Teacher,
Welcome to the 2011 British Physics Olympiad. We had five finalist who represented UK in
the International Physics Olympiad in Zagreb, Croatia. Our finalist achieved one gold, one
silver, three bronze medals and 4th position out of 50 students in the Experimental Project.
The competition will be run in a similar format to last year. Details can be found on
www.bpho.org.uk but please note the following:
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Free Paper 1 participation certificates
Online entry and payment for all other competitions and certificates
Paper 2 sat in two parts – 1 hr for Question 1 and 2hr 15min for the optional
questions
Paper 2 certificates will be posted with the question papers
Change in the award of prizes for paper 2. The marks required for Gold, Silver
or Bronze will be determined after all papers are marked
The Practical Project is now available to download on-line, to allow more time for
projects to be completed
Please Note - Papers ordered in the last week before the deadline will be sent
electronically
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Your feedback on how these
changes affect you is also very welcome. Details of how to enter and past papers for all
competitions can be found at www.bpho.org.uk. For those new to the BPhO, a summary of our
activities are below.
The British Physics Olympiad
Date: Friday 12th November 2010
Enter by: Friday 5th November 2010
The British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) attracts entries from over 1,000 talented young
physicists each year. The competition has a dual purpose: to challenge and reward the best
physicists in British schools and to select the UK Team for the International Physics Olympiad.
Most entrants are in Year 13 (A2, Advanced Highers or equivalent level), but younger students
are welcome to participate. The BPhO takes place over four rounds:
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Paper 1 is free to enter, and the question paper and mark scheme are sent together. For
2010/11 participation, merit certificates are available free to all participating schools
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Students who perform well in Paper 1 are encouraged to enter Paper 2. Paper 2 costs
£18 to enter, and is marked at the University of Oxford. Certificates are awarded at
Gold, Silver, Bronze and Participation levels, with all Gold and Silver winners
receiving a book prize. Students do not need to have done Paper 1 to enter Paper 2
Lena Hagan, Clarendon Lab, Oxford, OX1 3PU;
01865 272884; l.hagan@physics.ox.ac.uk
Academic Secretary: Dr Cyril Isenberg, Electronics Laboratory, University of Kent, Kent, CT2 7NT;
01227 823768; c.isenberg@kent.ac.uk
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Any schools that have not participated before in the BPhO may enter up to two
candidates for Paper 2 free of charge, with entry fees kindly sponsored by The Ogden
Trust
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Papers 3 and 4 are by invitation only, and are used to select the UK team for the
International Physics Olympiad
Physics Challenge
Date: Friday 11th March 2011
Enter by: Friday 4th March 2011
A fun challenge for GCSE, Standard Grade or equivalent-level students. The paper has a
refreshing mathematical style and includes multiple-choice and short answer sections. It is
marked in school and is suitable for dual award or separate subject candidates predicted to
achieve an A or A*. The entry fee is £2 per student.
AS Competition
Date: Friday 18th March 2011
Enter by: Friday 11th March 2011
The AS Competition is designed to stretch lateral thinking skills and encourage students to
apply fundamental principals to novel situations. A single one-hour paper, it is marked in
school and designed to favour all exam boards equally. The AS Competition provides an
excellent tool to assess and challenge student’s ability to work at Key Stage 5 and beyond. It
costs £2 to enter.
BPhO Experimental Project
Date: Available Now
Enter by: Friday 17th December 2011
Our newest competition, the Experimental Project was introduced in 2007 to provide young
physicists with more hands-on experience. A project brief is attached, detailing an experiment
suitable for GCSE or sixth form students. Teachers set the task to their students, choose the
best in their school for each age group and send it to us for national judging.
How to enter
We have an online entry system, using the University of Oxford’s well-tested online shop. This
system will be used to order free certificates for Paper 1 and entries and certificates for other
competitions. More details and a link to the online shop can be found at www.bpho.org.uk.
Past papers and more information regarding all our competitions are also available at the same
address. All papers can be requested in electronic form.
Lena Hagan, Clarendon Lab, Oxford, OX1 3PU;
01865 272884; l.hagan@physics.ox.ac.uk
Academic Secretary: Dr Cyril Isenberg, Electronics Laboratory, University of Kent, Kent, CT2 7NT;
01227 823768; c.isenberg@kent.ac.uk