📚 All-System, All-Age Competition Planning: A Complete Roadmap | 全体系全年龄段竞赛规划:完整路线图
Competition planning is not about entering as many contests as possible. It is about building a multi-year roadmap that matches a student's curriculum, age and target university, and then filling that roadmap with the right competitions at the right moment. This guide covers the whole system, from age 8 to age 18, and shows how to arrange preparation so that every hour of practice moves a student closer to a medal, a distinction, or a stronger application.
竞赛规划不是"能报多少就报多少",而是先根据学生所在课程体系、年龄段与目标院校,搭出一条多年路线图,再在正确的时间点填入正确的比赛。本文覆盖从 8 岁到 18 岁的全体系、全年龄段规划方法,并给出科学的时间安排,让每一小时练习都更接近奖牌、Distinction 或更有竞争力的申请材料。
1. What All-System, All-Age Planning Really Means | 什么是真正的全体系、全年龄段规划
All-system means the plan must function whatever curriculum a student follows: A-Level, IGCSE or GCSE, IB Diploma, AP, or national tracks such as the Chinese gaokao route, Singapore A-Level, or the Australian ATAR. Competitions rarely test a syllabus line by line; they test how far a student can transfer and extend a syllabus. A sound plan therefore starts from the curriculum, identifies the gap between school content and competition content, and closes that gap on purpose.
"全体系"意味着无论学生读的是 A-Level、IGCSE 或 GCSE、IBDP、AP,还是高考体系、新加坡 A-Level、澳洲 ATAR,规划都要能落地。竞赛很少逐条考纲式地考查,而是考查学生能把课内知识迁移、延伸多远。因此可靠的规划从课程体系出发,找出课内内容与竞赛内容之间的差距,并有意识地补齐。
All-age means a continuous ladder rather than a series of isolated entries. A Year 6 student who starts with a friendly challenge, a Year 9 student who reaches an intermediate round, and a Year 12 student who targets a senior olympiad should all be on the same curve. Each stage should produce a concrete output: a certificate, a score report, a written reflection, or a portfolio entry that the next stage can build on.
"全年龄段"指的是一条连续的阶梯,而不是一次次孤立的报名。小学阶段参加入门挑战、初三参加中级轮次、高三冲击高级奥林匹克,应处于同一条成长曲线上。每个阶段都要产出可留存的结果:证书、成绩报告、书面复盘,或下一阶段可以继续叠加的作品集素材。
- Diagnose: identify current level against a real past paper, not against feelings. / 诊断:用真题而非感觉来判断当前水平。
- Select: choose two competitions per year, one "safe" and one "stretch". / 选赛:每年两场,一场稳妥、一场冲刺。
- Schedule: work backwards from the contest date to set milestones. / 排期:从比赛日期倒推,设定阶段性里程碑。
- Prepare: knowledge repair plus timed practice plus review. / 备赛:补知识、限时训练、系统复盘三件事。
- Compete and review: write down what failed and why within 48 hours. / 参赛与复盘:48 小时内写下失误原因。
- Link: connect the result to coursework, personal statement or interview. / 衔接:把成绩接到课程、文书或面试素材上。
2. The Four Age Bands and Their Objectives | 四大年龄段与阶段目标
Age determines what a competition can realistically deliver. A 9-year-old needs enjoyment and confidence, a 13-year-old needs habit and technique, a 15-year-old needs a first serious award, and a 17-year-old needs a result that admissions tutors recognise. Planning against the wrong objective is the single most common reason families feel busy but see no progress.
年龄决定了比赛能真正带来什么。9 岁需要的是兴趣与信心,13 岁需要的是习惯与技法,15 岁需要的是第一份有分量的奖项,17 岁需要的则是招生官认可的成果。目标错位,是家庭"很忙却没进步"的最常见原因。
| Age / Year | 年龄 / 年级 | Stage goal | 阶段目标 | Typical entries | 代表赛事 |
| 8-11 / Year 4-6 | Interest, reading speed, number sense | 兴趣、阅读速度、数感 | Math Kangaroo, Primary Maths Challenge, UK Bebras | 袋鼠数学、小学组挑战、Bebras |
| 11-14 / Year 7-9 | Habit, technique, first certificates | 习惯、技法、首批证书 | AMC 8, UKMT JMC/IMC, Junior Science Olympiad, CCC Junior | AMC 8、JMC/IMC、初级科学奥赛、CCC |
| 14-16 / Year 10-11 | First serious award, subject confirmation | 首个重要奖项、确认学科方向 | AMC 10/12, UKMT SMC, BPhO Round 1, C3L6, USABO open | AMC 10/12、SMC、BPhO、C3L6、USABO |
| 16-18 / Year 12-13 | Olympiad level, admission-linked results | 奥赛级别、衔接申请 | BMO, UKChO, BPhO Round 2, IEO, NEC, MAT/STEP/ESAT | BMO、UKChO、BPhO 第二轮、IEO、NEC、MAT/STEP |
A useful rule is to keep one competition that a student can already score well in, and one that sits roughly one level above current ability. The comfortable one protects motivation; the hard one creates growth.
一个实用原则是:始终保留一场学生现在就能考出好成绩的比赛,以及一场比现有水平高约一个层级的比赛。前者保护动力,后者带来成长。
3. Mapping Competitions to Your Curriculum | 竞赛与课程体系的对应关系
Every curriculum leaves a different gap. IGCSE students usually lack depth in proof and mechanics; IB students have breadth plus the IA and EE but often weak timed calculation; AP students may have strong calculus yet little experience with unfamiliar, non-routine problems. Mapping the gap first prevents wasted preparation.
不同课程体系留下的缺口并不相同。IGCSE 学生通常缺少证明与力学的深度;IB 学生知识面广、还有 IA 与 EE,但限时计算往往偏弱;AP 学生微积分强,却较少接触陌生的非套路题。先定位缺口,才能避免无效备赛。
| System | 体系 | Natural strength | 天然优势 | Needs deliberate work | 需要刻意补足 |
| A-Level / IGCSE | Algebra fluency, structured calculation | 代数熟练、结构化解题 | Proof writing, olympiad geometry, mechanics beyond syllabus |
| IB Diploma | Breadth, extended writing, IA/EE research | 知识面、长文写作、IA/EE 研究 | Speed under timed conditions, non-routine problem attack |
| AP | Calculus, physics formalism | 微积分、物理形式化表达 | Contest combinatorics, number theory, experimental design |
| Gaokao track | Computation speed, exam discipline | 计算速度、应试纪律 | English-language papers, open-ended investigation |
4. The Mathematics Competition Ladder | 数学竞赛阶梯
Mathematics offers the densest ladder, which makes it the best place to start planning. A realistic route runs from school-level challenges to junior national contests, then to senior olympiad rounds, and finally to university-level admission tests such as MAT, STEP or the TMUA.
数学的竞赛阶梯最密集,因此最适合作为规划的起点。一条现实路线是:校内级别挑战 → 初级全国赛事 → 高级奥林匹克轮次 → MAT、STEP、TMUA 等大学入学考试。
| Stage | 阶段 | Competitions | 代表赛事 | Core skills | 核心能力 |
| Entry | 入门 | Math Kangaroo, UKMT JMC, AMC 8 | Number sense, estimation, careful reading |
| Intermediate | 中级 | UKMT IMC, AMC 10, CEMC Gauss | Algebra manipulation, congruence, counting |
| Senior | 高级 | UKMT SMC, AMC 12, AIME, Euclid | Proof sketches, functional equations, geometry |
| Olympiad | 奥赛 | BMO Round 1 and 2, national selection tests | Full written proof, long-chain reasoning |
| Admission | 升学 | MAT, STEP 2/3, TMUA, ESAT | Speed, accuracy, syllabus-aware technique |
A common timing pattern is: SMC in early autumn, BMO Round 1 in late autumn, AMC 10/12 in November, AIME in February, Euclid in spring, and STEP in June. Because these dates cluster, a maths-heavy student should never prepare for two olympiad-level papers in the same month.
常见的时间分布是:秋季初 SMC,深秋 BMO 第一轮,11 月 AMC 10/12,次年 2 月 AIME,春季 Euclid,6 月 STEP。由于日期密集,以数学为主的学生不应在同一个月准备两场奥赛级试卷。
5. Physics and Astronomy Competitions | 物理与天文竞赛
Physics competitions reward modelling, not memorisation. Students must turn a word problem into equations, justify approximations, and keep units consistent. This is exactly the skill that separates a strong A-Level or IB candidate from an exceptional one.
物理竞赛奖励的是建模能力,而不是记忆力。学生必须把文字题转化为方程、说明近似条件、保持单位一致。这项能力正是优秀 A-Level 或 IB 学生与顶尖学生之间的分野。
- BPhO Round 1: long structured problems, usually in November; Round 2 follows for top scorers in late January. / BPhO 第一轮:长结构题,通常在 11 月;高分者 1 月下旬进入第二轮。
- Physics Bowl: fast multiple choice, often in March or April, useful for building speed. / 物理碗:快速选择题,常在 3 至 4 月,适合练速度。
- SIN: conceptual and reasoning-focused, typically in May, good for Year 10-11. / SIN:偏概念与推理,通常在 5 月,适合 10 至 11 年级。
- Astronomy olympiads: separate rounds for senior and junior candidates, staged from late autumn into spring. / 天文奥赛:分高年级与低年级轮次,从深秋延续到春季。
- Admission tests: PAT and ESAT in autumn, requiring both speed and syllabus precision. / 入学考试:PAT 与 ESAT 在秋季,既考速度也考考纲精准度。
A reliable preparation sequence is: rebuild mechanics and electricity from first principles, then solve twenty past-paper questions without a time limit, then repeat them under exam timing. The second pass is where most of the score comes from.
可靠的备赛顺序是:先用电学与力学第一性原理重建知识框架,再不计时地做二十道真题,最后按考试时间重做一遍。分数的提升大多来自第二遍。
6. Chemistry Competitions | 化学竞赛
Chemistry contests sit between knowledge and reasoning. UKChO, for instance, expects students to handle unfamiliar organic mechanisms and multi-step calculations that go well beyond A-Level, while still being solvable from solid principles.
化学竞赛介于知识与推理之间。以 UKChO 为例,它要求学生在远超 A-Level 的陌生有机机理与多步计算中作答,但题目仍可从扎实的基本原理推导出来。
| Competition | 赛事 | Typical window | 常见时间 | Focus | 重点 |
| UKChO Round 1 | January | 1 月 | Organic synthesis, structure, calculations |
| C3L6 | June | 6 月 | Lateral thinking, unfamiliar context |
| USNCO | March to April | 3 至 4 月 | Broad syllabus coverage, speed |
| Canadian Chemistry Contest | April | 4 月 | Conceptual clarity, stoichiometry |
Because chemistry relies on accumulated knowledge, six to eight weeks of steady work beats two weeks of cramming. Keep a single notebook of mechanisms, reagents and colour changes; that notebook becomes the revision source for every later contest.
化学依赖知识积累,因此六到八周的稳定推进远胜两周突击。准备一本机理、试剂与颜色变化的专用笔记,它将成为之后所有比赛的复习源。
7. Biology and Life Science Competitions | 生物与生命科学竞赛
Biology competitions test breadth of reading as much as knowledge. Papers often include data interpretation, experimental design and genetics problems that require careful, patient reading rather than clever tricks.
生物竞赛考查的阅读广度不亚于知识本身。试卷常包含数据分析、实验设计与遗传学题目,需要耐心细致的阅读,而非取巧技巧。
- British Biology Olympiad: held in early spring, with multiple-choice and extended sections. / 英国生物奥赛:初春举行,含选择题与拓展题。
- USABO open exam: usually in winter, followed by a semifinal round for top scorers. / USABO 公开赛:通常在冬季,高分者进入半决赛。
- Intermediate Biology Olympiad: a good bridge for Year 10-11 students. / 中级生物奥赛:10 至 11 年级学生的理想过渡。
- Brain Bee: neuroscience-focused, with regional rounds from winter to spring. / Brain Bee:聚焦神经科学,区域赛从冬季延续到春季。
The single highest-yield habit in biology preparation is vocabulary mapping: build a two-column list of terms and precise definitions in English, and test yourself weekly. Most lost marks come from wording, not from concepts.
生物备赛中回报最高的习惯是词汇图谱:用英文建立术语与精确定义的两列清单,每周自测。多数失分来自措辞理解,而非概念本身。
8. Computer Science and Informatics | 计算机与信息学竞赛
Informatics contests are algorithmic: they reward efficient thinking plus clean implementation. Students who only build websites often struggle, because the core demand is complexity analysis and data structure selection.
信息学竞赛本质是算法竞赛:奖励高效思维与干净实现。只做过网页开发的学生往往吃力,因为核心要求是复杂度分析与数据结构选择。
| Level | 层级 | Example | 示例 | Key topics | 关键内容 |
| Entry | 入门 | Bebras, Oxford Computing Challenge | Logic, patterns, decomposition |
