Purpose
The purpose is to help students to improve their spelling, to increase their vocabulary, to learn concepts, and to develop correct English usage for a lifetime
Rules
A maximum of two minutes will be allowed for spelling each word. The time begins when the pronouncer has pronounced the word or has replied to a request and ends when the speller has spelt the word.
The speller must not previously have been declared champion of the Bee.
The speller must not have any first, second, or third degree relatives (sibling, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, half – sibling or first cousin) who are current employees of the European School
In competition, after the pronouncer gives the speller a word, the speller may be encouraged to pronounce the word both before and after spelling it, but the judges shall not disqualify a speller for failing to pronounce the word correctly.
The speller may ask the pronouncer to repeat the word, define the word or give a sentence including the word. The pronouncer shall accede to these requests unless the judges agree that the word has been made reasonably clear to the speller, in which case the judges will request the speller to start spelling.
If a word has one or more homonyms, the pronouncer will indicate which word is to be spelled. If the listed word is not properly identified, either by defining it or distinguishing the homonyms, any correct spelling of any homonym of the word will be accepted.
The role of the pronouncer is (1) to correctly pronounce the word and (2) to repeat a word, define it or use it in a sentence if the speller so requests.
A speller, having started to spell a word, may stop and start again by retracing the spelling from the beginning. In retracing, however, there can be no change of letters or sequence as first pronounced. If letters or their sequences are changed in the respelling, the speller will be eliminated. Once a speller has started to spell a word, he / she cannot ask the pronouncer to repeat the word, define the word or give a sentence including the word.
The speller shall not be disqualified for failing to note that a word is capitalized.
Process of Elimination
In each round, each speller will be required, in turn, to spell one word.
If none of the spellers remaining in the Spelling Bee at the start of a round spells a word correctly during that round, all will remain in competition.
If, at the end of a round, only two spellers remain in competition, the winner will be determined in the following manner:
The pronouncer will give the first speller a word and, if the word is correctly spelled, the pronouncer will give the second speller a word and, so on;
Where a speller misspells a word, the other speller will be given the chance to correct the error; but if that word is misspelled again, the pronouncer will give another word to the first speller and so on;
If a speller is able to correct an error, he will at once be given another word and, if he spells that second word correctly, he will be declared the winner.