The British Informatics Olympiad is the computing competition for schools and colleges. We are proud to present BIO 2008, sponsored by Lionhead Studios.
The 2008 British Informatics Olympiad

Eligibility

 

The British Informatics Olympiad (BIO) is open to students under 19 years of age and studying full-time at an establishment of Secondary or Further (not Higher) Education in mainland Britain. Entries are co-ordinated by the Head of Information Technology or another member of staff at the school or college (teacher in charge).

A similar competition exists for students in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Entering the BIO

 

The teacher in charge of the BIO must enter the competition by filling in the on-line application form, and specifying an approximate number of students who will take the first round of the BIO.

BIO 2008 Timetable

• October-14 December (2007)
  Schools and colleges enter
• 19 November-21 December (2007)
  Students take the first round exam in school
• 28-30 March (2008)
  Final round at Trinity College, Cambridge
• Summer vacation (dates to be announced)
  Training weekend
• August (2008)
  Top four students travel to the International Olympiad in Informatics

Structure of the first round

 

The first round of the BIO consists of a 3-hour paper, with three questions, to be taken in school. Each question is to be solved by writing a computer program, on any type of computer and in any language; the questions will be supplemented by written problems.

The exam will be taken on a day of the school's choosing, but marks must be submitted electronically by 28 December if they are to be considered for the final.

Answers consist of the student's computer programs (which should be stored electronically), the written answers to the problems, and the results of the tests specified in the marks scheme.

The answers are to be marked by the teacher in charge. Marks should be submitted on the form which will be described on the marks scheme. All answers should be retained by the teacher in charge and may, for moderation, be required at short notice by the BIO organisers.

Structure of the final

 

The final will take place in Cambridge during the Easter holiday, 2008. The best 15 competitors in the first round of the BIO will be invited to take part.

Food, accommodation, and reasonable travelling expenses (which must have been agreed in advance) will be paid for by the BIO.

The final will consist of a series of written and programming problems. The machines used for the final will be Pentium PCs. The languages available are expected to be Delphi, C/C++ and Basic. There will be some free time and an opportunity for competitors to surf the Internet.

The four winners of the BIO and a team reserve will be selected at the final, and will be announced at a presentation ceremony on the last day.

International Olympiad in Informatics

 

The four winners will form the team to represent Britain at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). In the event of one of these being unable to attend IOI 2008, a reserve will be substituted at the organisers' discretion.

The IOI will take place in Egypt in August 2008. All expenses of travel, food and accommodation will be covered by the BIO and IOI, although team-members are advised to bring their own pocket money.

The team will be accompanied by at least two team leaders.

The team members will compete as individuals against approximately 300 students from over 75 countries, solving problems using computers; the best students will receive gold, silver or bronze medals.

Interpretation

 

The Chairman, Director(s) and Secretary of the British Informatics Olympiad will have the final say in the interpretation of these rules, and any ambiguity or question should be referred to them.