It was exciting. It was eye-opening. For me.
It was nerve-wrecking for the competitors as they had to spell out the word aloud in front of an audience. Even simple words would have been made difficult.
The whole competition, of 7 rounds, lasted approximately 2h 15mins and I was wide-awake and alert throughout.
Words like "ochre", "subterfuge", "anathema", "olfactory" and "moribund" etc. stumped me too. This precious experience allowed me to understand how a student would feel when they do not understand what the teacher was teaching or talking about.
It's not merely a competition of spelling and vocabulary, it is one of luck too.
With only 24 pupils left, Jia Yi bowed out, together with another 8 pupils, in the 4th round, when she was asked to spell "melee" which she spelled "mallay", due to its US pronounciation. If she had asked for an alternative pronounciation (UK), the story would have been different. Nevertheless, Jia Yi put up a good showing, clearing "heir", "phrasal" and "dungeon".
Clement and Jun Rui advanced into the 5th round, together with another 13 pupils.
Clement was eventually stopped by the word "hyperbole", a variation from the Latin/Greek word, pronounce as "hy-per-ber-lee". He successfully spelled "queue", "asthma", "gnaw" and "simultaneous".
Jun Rui, at P5, did very well too and he managed to spell "hangar", "centaur", "sepia" and "accessory", before the word "subterfuge" held him back. He will definitely be back next year! ^_^
Well done, kiddos! We are proud of you! (",)
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