International Biology Olympiad (IBO): IP-Friendly Guide

TL;DR
The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is the life-sciences cousin of the IPhO and IMO.
Since its 1990 launch in Olomouc, it has grown to more than 70 participating countries, assessing students through a theoretical examination and practical laboratory block—each typically four to six hours long—and awarding roughly the top 60 % (gold ≈10 %, silver ≈20 %, bronze ≈30 %) IBO guide.
For Singapore IP students, a strong IBO portfolio boosts DSA and university scholarships, while the lab-design and data-handling overlap with A-Level Physics Paper 4 skills.

1 What is the IBO?

The IBO is a yearly biology competition for secondary-school students aged 14-19 as of 31 December in the competition year.
Founded in 1990 in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, it aims to promote biology education, foster international friendships, and identify young research talent.

2 Competition format

Questions target application far beyond recall: interpreting enzyme-kinetics graphs, mapping phylogenetic trees, or designing a field experiment.
Practical domains are announced 6-12 months ahead, letting teams train with similar kits.

3 Who can take part?

• Age rule — contestants must be under 20 on 1 July of the competition year.
• Academic status — they cannot have entered tertiary education by that date.
• Team size — each delegation sends up to four students plus up to two mentors IBO guide.

4 Scoring and medals

Scores are normalised to the highest aggregate.
Medals then follow the IBO statutes cut-offs:

• Gold: top \(\approx 10\%\) IBO guide
• Silver: next \(\approx 20\%\)
• Bronze: next \(\approx 30\%\)
• Honourable mention: next \(\approx 10\%\)

No country may win >4 medals because each delegation is capped at four students.

5 Why IP Maths & Physics families should care

5.1 Cross-pollination with Physics & Math

• Experimental design mimics A-Level Physics Paper 4: uncertainty budgets, LINEST gradient \(\pm\) SE, hypothesis tests.
• Population-genetics models use differential equations and probability distributions, reinforcing IP Math statistics.
• Data-logger skills (spectrophotometers, PCR curves) echo sensors in electric-field mapping experiments.

5.2 Portfolio & DSA leverage

• National Biology Olympiad medals are accepted evidence for DSA-JC applications into schools such as RI and VJC.
• Universities shortlist IBO alumni for life-science scholarships, and some U.K. schools award up to 2 A-level grade offsets.

6 Singapore pathway to the IBO

1. Singapore Biology Olympiad (SBO) — open MCQ + structured paper (Nov).
2. Training Camp — \(\approx 7-10\)-day residential with \(~60 \space contact h\) of labs and lectures for the top \(~40\) SBO students.
3. Team selection tests — four students + one reserve named by April.
4. IBO — usually mid-July (e.g. 2024 Astana, 2025 Perth).

Singapore has ranked top-5 overall more than a dozen times since 2000 and swept 4 gold medals in 2023.

7 12-month prep timeline for IP students

8 FAQs

Q: Is prior lab experience compulsory?
A: Helpful but not mandatory; top scorers often start serious wet-lab work only after SBO.

Q: Will IBO clash with IP WAs?
A: The IBO falls in July, so only JC Promo revision overlaps. Plan your WA2 study calendar accordingly.

Q: How does the medal quota compare with IPhO?
A: Both Olympiads award \(~60\%\) of candidates, but IPhO sets fixed score thresholds, whereas the IBO uses percentile bands.

9 Further reading

• International Biology Olympiad — official portal
• IBO — About
• Most Popular Biology Olympiads
• IBO Medal Table 1990-2023
• Singapore Institute of Biology (SIBiol)
• Team Singapore IBO results
• Biolympiads — IBO practicals guide
• USABO Camp structure
• International Biology Olympiad — official portal