Major Changes!!!
Round 0 added starting in 2025
1. Exam Time
October 16, 2025 (Thursday) 17:00 - 18:00
Submission Deadline: UK schools must upload scanned A4 answer sheets by October 17, 2025 (Friday) (specific time to be confirmed).
2. Exam Format and Content
Duration: 1 hour
Question Types: 25 multiple-choice questions, covering knowledge-based, calculation-based, elimination-based, and problem-solving questions.
Knowledge Scope: Primarily AS-level physics content, excluding advanced topics such as electric fields, magnetic fields, gravitational fields, and particle physics.
Difficulty Level: Includes a small number of medium-difficulty A-level questions from examination boards such as AQA/OCR, some challenging A-level questions, and more challenging questions (sample questions will be available on the BPhO website in early September).
Answering and Submission: Answers will be written on paper, with answers filled in on the multiple-choice answer sheet. Schools will scan and upload the answers to the BPhO platform.
3. Fees
Group Registration by School: £14 per school (Round 1 registration fee remains unchanged from previous years).
What competitions are included in the BPhO series?
The BPhO series includes 13 competitions at different difficulty levels, catering to students of all ages.
Based on the competition concept, BPhO competitions can be divided into two main categories: Physics Challenges (Junior Physics Challenge, Intermediate Physics Challenge, Senior Physics Challenge) and Physics Olympiads (BPhO Round 1 and BPhO Round 2).
Important Note!!! BPhO Round 1 entry slots in 2025 will be prioritized for students who won gold, silver, or bronze medals in the Spring SPC (BPhO AS) and gold medals in the IPC (BPhO IG) that year.
2025-2026 Event Calendar
| Event Name | Application deadline | Match time |
| BPhO Round 0 | - | October 16, 2025, 17:00-18:00 |
| IPC&SPC Online | January 20, 2026 | January 30, 2026, 17:00-18:00 |
| IPC&SPC | February 23, 2026 | March 5, 2026, 17:00-18:00 |
| IPC & SPC Finals | June 3, 2025 | June 14, 2025 |
|
BPhO Round 1 |
Registration will be conducted in batches. The deadline for the first batch is August 1, 2025; the deadline for the second batch is September 1, 2025; and the third batch will begin on September 2, 2025, and will close once all places are filled. |
November 4, 2025, 17:00-19:00 |
| BPhO Round 2 | February 10, 2026 | February 21, 2026, 14:00-17:00 |
I. Physics Challenge Series
JPC, IPC, and SPC are the UK's physics challenge competitions, generally serving as prerequisites for BPhO.
1. Junior Physics Challenge (JPC)
Students in Year 9 or above can choose to participate in the Junior Physics Challenge (JPC). This is an introductory physics competition suitable for students trying competitions for the first time.
The exam content is based on the IGCSE curriculum, but some questions are related to everyday life, covering topics such as dynamics, electricity, optics, thermodynamics, waves, units, and a small amount of astronomy.
2. IPC Online
Suitable for: Students in grades 9-10 or equivalent
Exam Format: 40 multiple-choice questions, 1 point per question, no penalty for incorrect answers
Awards: Gold, Silver, Bronze
3. SPC Online
Suitable for: Students in grades 10-11 or equivalent
Exam Format: 40 multiple-choice questions, 1 point per question, no penalty for incorrect answers
Awards: Gold, Silver, Bronze
4. Intermediate Physics Challenge (IPC)
Suitable for: Students in grade 10 or with a grade 10 level of ability can choose to participate in the Intermediate Physics Challenge (IPC).
Exam Format:
The exam consists of three sections:
Section A: 10 questions, 1 point each, total 10 points.
Section B: 2 essay questions requiring a clear explanation of the physical principles, total 10 points.
Section C: Approximately 3 problem-solving questions requiring a detailed solution process, total 30 points.
The total score is 50 points.
Awards:
Gold (Top 5%)
Silver (Top 15%)
Bronze I (Top 30%)
Bronze II (Top 45%)
For global awards, UK participants are ranked according to their total score to determine the Gold, Silver, Bronze I, and Bronze II awards.
5. Advanced Physics Challenge (SPC)
Suitable for: Year 11 or AS Physics level students. Two 30-minute sessions, focusing on the application of principles, with questions primarily consisting of short and long answers.
Exam Format:
The exam consists of two sections:
Section A: Approximately 10 questions, 1 point each
Section B: Approximately 5 problem-solving questions, requiring detailed solutions.
Total score: 50 points
Awards:
Gold (Top 5%)
Silver (Top 15%)
Bronze I (Top 30%)
Bronze II (Top 45%)
For global awards, British contestants are ranked according to their total score to determine the Gold, Silver, Bronze I, and Bronze II awards.
IPC & SPC past exam questions and answers PDF have been compiled and are available for download by scanning the QR code ⇓
6. IPC & SPC Finals
Exam Format: All-English written exam with short answer questions, online testing.
(Each round will focus on different aspects of the experiment, such as the application of physics knowledge, logic, standardization, and experimental results.)
Awards:
IPC Awards
Gold
Silver
Bronze
SPC Awards
Gold
Silver
Bronze
II. BPhO Physics Olympiad
BPhO Round 1 is the preliminary round of the British Physics Olympiad and the BPHO series competition with the most participation from Chinese students.
1. BPhO Round 1
Competition Language: English
Competition Format: Individual written exam, no experiments, 2 hours
Competition Question Type: Proof questions
Competition Content: The competition consists of two sets of questions, Section 1 and Section 2.
Section 1: There are approximately 15 questions, each with a different point value depending on its difficulty (ranging from 3 to 10 points), for a total of approximately 94 points. Contestants only need to answer 50 points worth of questions. This section is worth 50 points. (Note: If a student answers questions worth more than 50 points, no points will be deducted for incorrect answers, and points will be awarded for correct answers, but the total score will be increased by 50.)
Section 2: Approximately 5 major questions, each divided into several sub-questions, each with a different point value. Each major question is worth 25 points. Answer any 2 questions (the exact number of questions will be determined on the exam).
Answer Requirements: BphO places great emphasis on demonstrating logical thinking, so a proof must be written for each question. Simply writing the answer will not earn points; however, if a partial correct line of reasoning is shown, even if the answer is incorrect, partial points may still be awarded.
BPhO Awards
All Chinese and English exam papers will be sent back to the Department of Physics at Oxford University for unified review. Each paper will be judged by 3 judges, and the following awards will be given, divided into global and Chinese categories:
Global Awards:
Top Gold: Ranked in the top 2% of UK students by their overall score
Gold: Ranked in the top 8% of UK students by their overall score
Silver: Ranked in the top 15% of UK students by their overall score
Bronze I: Ranked in the top 25% of UK students by their overall score
Bronze II: Ranked in the top 35% of UK students by their overall score
Students from other countries will have their awards determined based on the UK students' score threshold. This ensures that the performance of students from other countries does not affect the award ratio of UK students or the competition's teaching order. In other words, theoretically, Chinese students generally have better grades and a higher award-winning rate.
China Region Awards:
Gold Medal: Top 5% of total score
Silver Medal: Top 10% of total score
Bronze Medal: Top 15% of total score
Award for Outstanding Performance: Top 30% of total score
BPhO Qualification Requirements
Round 1 Top Gold Award winners will be invited to participate in BPhO Round 2.
The British Physics Olympiad generally requires overseas students to participate in Round 1. Both British and Chinese students can participate in Round 2 (students in the Chinese region need to register as a school; please consult the Asdan website for details).
Please note that Chinese students cannot represent the British national team. Winning students will have the opportunity to participate in the British Physics Olympiad Camp (China).
2. BPhO China Camp
Language: English
Student Eligibility: BPhO Top Gold/Gold prize winner
Location: Shanghai, China (tentative)
Academic Modules:
Research on Physics Problems
Physics Experimental observation and emonstration
Physics research
University of Oxbridge Talk and Mock Interview
3. BPhO Junior China Camp
Language: English
Student Eligibility: JPC/IPC Top Gold/Gold prize winner
Location: Shanghai, China (tentative)
Academic Modules:
Research on Physics Problems
Physics Experimental observation and emonstration
Physics research
University of Oxbridge Talk and Mock Interview
4. BPhO Round 2
Competition Location: School online exam only
Competition Language: English
Eligibility: Students with outstanding academic awards who have achieved a passing score in BPhO Round 1 are eligible to participate.