CREST English Olympiad (CEO) 2026-27
CEO is the English olympiad that CREST Olympiads runs for Nursery to Class 10. Children who do well in Level 1 go on to Level 2.
When is CEO 2026-27?
Level 1: 1 Dec 20265 Dec 2026
Level 2: 30 Jan-1 Feb 2027.
Online from home on a computer or laptop. Student books a slot between 11 AM and 7 PM IST, at least 2 days ahead.
How do I register my child, and what does it cost?
Parents register directly online, or through a school. Fee: ₹275 per subject (includes 2 online practice tests). Outside India: US$15 per subject.
What is in the paper?
| Classes | Questions | Marks | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | 35 | 45 | 60 |
| 5–10 | 50 | 60 | 60 |
Negative marking: none. Language: English.
What is the syllabus?
School syllabus as an outline. Some questions test advanced understanding.
The topics, class by class, as the organiser lists them:
Class 1
Jumbled Letters · Words: Their Meanings and Opposites · Identify the Word From the Picture · Making a Word · Feminine and Masculine · One and Many · Word Pairs · Odd One Out · Animals: Their Babies and Sounds · Nouns · Pronouns · Verbs · Conjunctions · Articles · Prepositions · Adjectives · Basic Tenses · Punctuation and Comprehension (Prose and Poetry)
Achievers Section: Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section 1
Class 2
Collocations · Spellings · Words (Related to Animals and their Sounds, Clothes, Body Parts, Basic Emotions, Food, etc.) · Nouns · Pronouns · Verbs · Adverbs · Adjectives · Articles · Prepositions · Conjunctions · Contractions · Word Order · Punctuation · Simple Tenses · Information Retrieval from Various Texts (Stories, Short Dialogues, Messages, Invitations, etc.) · Spoken and Written Expressions (Thanking, Greeting, Permission, Introduction, etc.)
Achievers Section: Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section 1
Class 3
Word Power: Homophones · Collocations · Spellings · Words (Related to Animals, Household Things, Clothes, Basic Emotions, Food, Animals and Pets, etc.) · Synonyms and Antonyms · Gender · Number (Singular and Plural Words) · Proverbs · One Word · Nouns · Pronouns · Verbs · Adverbs · Adjectives · Articles · Prepositions · Simple Tenses · Conjunctions · Punctuation · Basic Questions · Information Retrieval from Various Texts (Stories, Anecdotes, Pictures, Time-table Format, Messages, Invitations, etc.) · Spoken and Written Expressions (Apology, Greeting, Introduction, Request, etc.)
Achievers Section: Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section 1
Class 4
Collocations · Spellings · Words (Related to Animals, Household Things, Clothes, Basic Emotions, Food, Animals, etc.) · Synonyms · Antonyms · Nouns · Pronouns · Verbs · Adverbs · Adjectives · Contractions · Articles · Prepositions · Conjunctions · Tenses · Punctuations · Jumbled Words · Basic Questions · Information Retrieval from Various Text and Image (Stories, Anecdotes, Pictures, Time-table Format, Messages, Invitations etc.) · Spoken and Written Expressions (Apology, Greetings, Introduction, Request, etc.)
Achievers Section: Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section 1
Class 5
Spellings · Collocations · Idioms · Homonyms and Homophones · Words (Related to Feelings, Travel, Food, Health, Appearance, Character, etc.) · Nouns · Pronouns · Verbs · Phrasal Verbs · Adverbs · Adjectives · Articles · Prepositions · Punctuation · Tenses · Active-Passive Voice · Reported Speech · Information Retrieval from Various Text (News Headlines, Messages, Letters, News Reports, Time-tables, Messages, etc.), from Specific Short Texts (Messages, Menu Card, Dialogues etc.), from Situation Based Texts (Requests, Refusals, Apologies, etc.) · Conjunctions
Achievers Section: Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section 1
Class 6
Nouns · Pronouns · Verbs · Adverbs · Adjectives · Articles · Prepositions · Punctuation · Jumbled Words · Conjunctions · Tenses · Voices · Narration · Spellings · Collocations · Phrasal Verbs · Idioms · Words (Related to Everyday Problems, Relationships, Health and Medicine, Travel etc.) · Information Retrieval from Various Text and Image (Brochures, Formal and Informal letters, Itinerary, Short Narratives, Time-tables, News Stories, Diary Entry, Poster Making, Messages etc.) · Spoken and Written Expressions (Agreement and Disagreement, Requests, Refusals, Apologies, etc.)
Achievers Section: Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section 1
Class 7
Spellings · Collocations · Words (Related to Travel, Locations, Activities etc.) · Homonyms and Homophones · Synonyms · Antonyms · Analogies and Spellings · One Word · Phrasal Verbs · Idioms · Modals · Word Order · Nouns · Pronouns · Verbs · Adverbs · Adjectives · Articles · Prepositions · Conjunctions · Punctuation · Tenses · Voices and Narration · Information Retrieval from Texts (News Stories, Brochures, Formal and Informal Letters, Advertisements, Itinerary, Short Narratives, Biographies, Notices and Messages etc.) · Spoken and Written Expressions (Requesting, Refusing, Apologies, Stating of Preferences, Expression of Intent, etc.)
Achievers Section: Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section 1
Class 8
Synonyms · Antonyms · Analogies and Spellings · Collocations · Phrasal Verbs · Idioms · Proverbs · Homonyms and Homophones · One Word · Nouns · Pronouns · Verbs · Adverbs · Adjectives · Articles · Prepositions · Prepositional Phrases · Participle Phrases · Conjunctions · Determiners · Jumbled Words · Punctuations · Tenses · Voices and Narrations · Question Tags · Words (Related to Leisure, Household Items/Issues, Social Causes, Outdoor Locations, Activities, etc.) · Information Retrieval from Texts (News Reports, Blurb, Dictionaries, Instruction Manual Format, Messages, Editorials, Essays, etc.) · Spoken and Written Expressions (Requesting, Giving Information, Expressing Surprise, Pronunciation, etc.)
Achievers Section: Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section 1
Syllabus topics and a sample question for your child's class:
Is there a Level 2, and who goes?
Two levels.
- Top 55.56% of each class in Level 1
- Nursery to Class 1: 60% or more
Cut-off: Published for each declared exam on CREST's Awards and 'Cut-off & Ranking Criteria' pages. Ranks are given in 5 zones: East, West, North, South and International.
How does my child get the admit card?
No admit card: the exam is online. Log in to the CREST dashboard and book a slot at least 2 days ahead. The 'Click To Take Exam' button opens 10 minutes before the slot. Changing a slot costs ₹40.
Is there an official CEO answer key?
Shown only on fixed dates: Level 1, 9-10 Dec 2026. Level 2, 3-4 Feb 2027. A question can be challenged on the answer-key page for ₹125, refunded if the challenge is right.
When do results come, and what can my child win?
Level 1 results within 10 days of the last Level 1 answer-key date (where there is a Level 2). Final results within one month of the last answer-key date.
- Nursery to Class 1: 60% or more in the final exam: Star Medal and Merit Certificate
- Classes 2 to 12: international top 3 per class and subject: Achiever's Trophy
- School top 3 (schools with 25 or more students in a class): Gold Medal
- 96 percentile and above or zonal ranks 1 to 10: Gold Medal
- 93 to 96 percentile: Silver Medal
- 90 to 93 percentile: Bronze Medal
- Top 25%: Merit Certificate
- Top 25 to 50%: Honourable Mention
- Every online participant: digital certificate
Where can I find CEO sample papers and previous year papers?
A free trial test (Practice Test 1), the same as the real exam, after logging in. Olympiad Owl does not share the papers themselves. Our class pages above have a free sample question each, and the app has full mock papers in the previous year paper pattern.
Anything else to know?
Nursery to Class 1: a parent or teacher may help the child understand the question. Answer keys come out on fixed dates and can be challenged.
How can my child prepare for CEO?
A few questions a day in the real pattern, and one full timed paper a week, works better than a last-minute rush.
From CREST's own website, 25 Oct 2026.
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