Crown Bee Challenge Malaysia (CBeeC)
About Crown Bee Challenge Malaysia (CBeeC)
ELPC Malaysia is proud to organize the 1st Crown Bee Challenge – Malaysia (National Spelling Bee Competition) (CBeeC 2025), a prestigious competition that promotes the English language and challenges students from all states of Malaysia to strengthen their lexical and spelling skills.
The competition is designed to inspire students to read more under the theme “Read to Succeed.” It encourages learners to master the principles and patterns of English, broaden their vocabulary, and improve pronunciation.
CBeeC 2025 also develops students’ confidence, poise, and communication skills under pressure, while providing an opportunity for them to shine in the national spotlight. The competition further brings attention to school’s urgent literacy needs and equips teachers with practical skills for English instruction.
The ultimate goal of CBeeC 2025 is to foster friendship, academic growth, and national understanding among young learners from both public and private schools across Malaysia who share a passion for the English language.
What is Crown Bee Challenge Malaysia (CBeeC)
Crown Bee Challenge (CBeeC) is a national-level English spelling competition designed to develop students’ vocabulary, spelling accuracy, listening skills, and confidence. CBeeC provides young learners with a platform to challenge themselves academically while enjoying a fair and motivating competitive environment.
The competition welcomes students from various educational backgrounds and encourages independent learning, discipline, and excellence in English language mastery.
Objective Crown Bee Challenge Malaysia (CBeeC)
- To enhance students’ spelling, vocabulary, and lexical skills
- To promote confidence in oral and written English
- To cultivate a healthy competitive spirit among learners
- To identify and recognise outstanding spellers at different levels
Competition Structure
CBeeC is conducted in three main stages:
- Preliminary Round
- Semi-Final Round
- Grand Final Round
Each stage consists of:
- Writing Task (online or physical, depending on the round)
- Oral Spelling Task (spelling words aloud under invigilation)
Levels
Participants are grouped into different levels (CBee 1 – CBee 10) according to age and academic suitability, ensuring fair competition.
Examination Mode
- Online rounds are conducted under live Zoom invigilation
- Final round is conducted physically at an official venue
- Strict examination rules apply to ensure fairness and integrity
Awards & Recognition
- Medals: All finalists receive medals (category-based according to results)
- Certificates of Participation: Awarded to all participants
- Certificates of Achievement: Available for qualified participants.
- Teacher & School Certificates: Recognising supporting educators and institutions.
Fair Play & Integrity
CBeeC strongly upholds academic honesty. Participants must:
- Work independently
- Avoid all online sources and dictionaries
- Follow invigilator instructions at all times
Any violation of competition rules may result in disqualification.
Who Can Participate?
CBeeC is open to:
- Kindergarten, primary, and secondary school students
- Local and international students residing in Malaysia
Why Join Angkor Mathematics Competition?
- Compete on an international stage
- Enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Gain recognition and academic exposure
- Experience cultural exchange and global friendship
- competition gallery here -
Competition Rules and Guidelines
Rule 1: Territory and Eligibility
The competition is open to students from Grades 2 to 11 across Malaysia. An exception applies to students in Grade 1 and Grade 12:
- Grade 1 students may participate at the same level as Grade 2.
- Grade 12 students may participate at the same level as Grade 11.
There are two categories of participants:
- Regular Category – Students who attend state or private schools in Malaysia and study English as a foreign language.
- Special Category – Students who:
- were born in, or have studied for at least 3 years in, an English-speaking country
- currently study in a non-English speaking country but attend an English/American International School, Presidential School, or a school specializing in the English language.
Any student considered bilingual under this definition but attempting to register under another school or category may be disqualified at the discretion of ELPC. Please refer to Rule 8 for further details about the Special Category.
False Information: Participants, whether registering individually or as a group, must provide official approval from their school at the time of registration if requested by the organizers. If any false information is discovered before, during, or after the competition, the participant will be expelled immediately and banned from all ELPC competitions for 3 years.
| Preliminary Round | Semi – Final Round | Final Round |
| Date * To be informed * Online / Paper-based | Date * To be informed * Online / Paper-based | Date * To be informed |
| Venue *Locally registered state | Venue *Locally registered state | Venue *To be announced closer to Final Round |
| Task *Written, Oral Spelling | Task *Written, Oral Spelling | Task *Written, Oral Spelling |
| Results *within 5 working days | Results *within 5 working days | Results *The day after the exam or on the same day of the exam |
Candidates are able to register online via the online registration link individually or with a group through the ELPC State coordinator or school teacher of the State. The details of the candidates must be entered accurately only in Latin letters.
Only one-time payment. No registration fee the Final Round.
NB: Please contact your State coordinator regarding the registration fee. Candidates are kindly requested to only cancel their registration in case of health condition. There will be NO REFUND of the registration fee unless a medical certificate is provided. No cash payment is accepted, only online or other payment service companies by accepting terms and conditions of ELPC upon registration.
Candidates in all rounds (preliminary, semi-final and final) will be given two tasks:
1) Task 1 Written – this task consists of two subtasks. Total time allowed: 20 minutes
- Subtask 1 – participants read the text and identify and correct 10 misspelled words;
- Subtask 2 – CBee Levels 1-4 – participants need to identify and correctly spell 10 words based on a picture and scrambled up letters. CBee Levels 5-10 – participants need to read the definitions of words and then, rearrange the given jumbled letters into the correct order to spell the word properly;
2) Task 2 Oral – in the preliminary, semi-final and final round each participant will be given only five words to spell orally, but there is an element of chance in the final round. If only two or more spellers remain with equal points, the elimination procedure changes. At that point, when a speller misspells a word, the other speller will be given the opportunity to spell the same word. If the second speller spells the word correctly, the second speller will be declared the winner of Gold/Silver or Bronze medal. If both spellers misspell the same word, both will
continue in the contest with a new word until the judges make final decision. For further details, please read Rule 6. (time allowed: the spellers have total 1 minute to think and spell each word after the clear pronunciation and all information are given. The judges and pronouncer will not communicate with the speller during the final 30 seconds. The judges will disqualify any speller who does not provide a complete spelling before the expiration of time (0 seconds). If the judges and pronouncer need to discuss a competition-related matter while the speller is contemplating a word, they may pause the time clock, and they will inform the speller when they pause and resume the time clock.)
NB: Onsite exam – all the answers for task 1 need to be written on the answer lines in the exam paper clearly. The scores for task 2 will be recorded by the invigilators. The exam papers will be provided for each candidate during
the exam.
| No | Round | Tasks | Remarks | |
| 1 | Preliminary | Written | Oral | The exam level for the semi-final round will be one CBee Level higher than the one in the preliminary round, and will remain the same at the final round. |
| Subtask 1 (4 points for each word correctly identified and spelled – a total of 40 points) | 1 correct word (4 points each) | |||
| Subtask 2 (4 points for each word correctly spelled – a total of 40 points) | ||||
| 2 | Semi-final | Subtask 1 / Subtask 2 as above | 1 correct word as above | |
| 3 | Final | Subtask 1 / Subtask 2 as above | 1 correct word as above | |
- The Judges and Pronouncers will be in complete charge of the contest. Their decision will be final in all questions. Any problem relating to the spelling of a word must be referred to the Judges immediately during the competition at the relevant stage. No complaints or appeals will be considered after the contest has ended.
- The judges listen carefully, determine whether or not words are spelled correctly, and uphold the rules. The decisions of the judges are final.
- Misunderstandings: The judges will not respond to the speller’s question(s) about the word and its pronunciation but, if the judges sense that the speller has misunderstood the word, the judges will direct the speller and pronouncer to interact until they are satisfied that reasonable attempts have been made to assist the speller in understanding the word within the time constraints outlined in Rule 4. It is sometimes impossible to detect a misunderstanding until a spelling error has been made, and the judges are not responsible for the speller’s misunderstanding.
- Pronouncer Errors: The judges compare the pronouncer’s pronunciation with the diacritical markings in the word list. If the judges feel that the pronouncer’s pronunciation does not match the pronunciation specified in the diacritical markings, the judges will direct the pronouncer to correct the error as soon as it is detected. The final solution for such misunderstandings between the pronouncer and speller is to use “Oxford (online/offline)
Dictionary of English” the official contest dictionary and play the recording to listen to the correct pronunciation of the word given. Once the recording is played, there is no chance to spell the word again. - Spellers are allowed to bring a note pad and pen or pencil to practise the words before the competition (for their use only), but the speller must then spell the word orally during the competition. Extra paper and pencil are not allowed.
- In competition, spellers may pronounce words before spelling, after spelling, or not at all. However, you are encouraged to pronounce the word BEFORE spelling to ensure that you heard the word correctly. For example, if you are given the word baseball and you spell baseballs, your spelling will be considered incorrect. Or, if you are given absence and you spell absent, your spelling will be considered incorrect. The speller may ask the pronouncer to say the word again, define it, use it in a sentence, provide the part of speech, provide the language(s) of origin and/or provide an alternate pronunciation or pronunciations.
- The pronouncer strives to pronounce words according to the diacritical markings in 2025 NSB word lists.
- The pronouncer responds to the speller’s requests for a definition, sentence, part of speech, language(s) of origin and alternate pronunciation(s) as listed in the competition word list produced by NSB. The pronouncer does not entertain root word questions, requests for alternate definitions or requests for slower pronunciation.
- Homonyms: If a word has one or more homonyms, the pronouncer indicates which word is to be spelled by defining the word.
- A speller may request that a word be re-pronounced, defined, used in a sentence, or ask for its part of speech or language of origin — but only before they begin spelling. Once the speller has started spelling the word, they may not ask any further questions to the examiners. But the pronouncer shall grant the request(s) until the judges agree that the word has been made reasonably clear to the speller. The pronouncer will not syllabify (divide into syllables) the word.
- Once you begin to spell a word, you will not have a chance to change letters once pronounced. A speller may repeat the word orally, provided letters and their sequence are not changed. The speller must indicate words with apostrophes, capitals and other punctuation marks, and any accent marks either over the letter or at the end of the word.
- Judges may disqualify any speller who ignores a request to start spelling the word within a reasonable time outline in Rule 4.
- Misunderstandings: The speller is responsible for any misunderstanding of the word unless (1) the pronouncer never provided a correct pronunciation; (2) the pronouncer provided incorrect information regarding the definition, part of speech, or language of origin; or (3) the speller correctly spelled a homonym of the word and the pronouncer failed to either offer a definition or distinguish the homonyms. When a speller is given the definition of a homonym, he or she must spell the word which is defined.
- When a speller fails to spell a word correctly after all additional assistance as permitted by the rules of the competition has been provided, and / or the maximum time has expired, they must drop out of the competition. The pronouncer will announce the correct spelling of the word and a greeter will present a certificate of participation to the student. Another word shall be given to the next speller in line. The winner(s) will be announced accordingly.
- There is an element of chance in this competition. When only two or more spellers remain with equal points, the elimination procedure changes. At that point, when a speller misspells a word, the other speller will be given the opportunity to spell the same word. If the second speller spells the word correctly, the second speller will be declared the winner. If both spellers misspell the same word, both will continue in the contest with a new word until the judges make final decision.
- In the event of a protest or dispute, decisions shall be based on “Oxford Dictionary of English” the official contest dictionary. No other source shall be allowed.
- To minimize disruptions during this competition we ask audience members to turn off cell phones and pagers.
The participants by categories are required to expect any random word for oral spelling from CBee 1 to their current Level. For example, if a speller is in CBee 5 Level, they can expect any random word from CBee 1 to CBee 5. The levels are designed to 10 (ten) levels from CBee 1 to CBee 10 according to the standard school levels in Malaysia. Special category participants are considered as bilinguals, and will take the exam one level higher than Regular Category. For example, Special Category student in CBee 1 will compete with Regular Category student in CBee 2. Results for both categories will be considered together.
| Regular Category | Special category | ||
| Grade (school year) | Cbee Level | Grade (school year) | Cbee Level |
| 1-2 | Cbee 1 | 2 | Cbee 2 |
| 3 | Cbee 2 | 3 | Cbee 3 |
| 4 | Cbee 3 | 4 | Cbee 4 |
| 5 | Cbee 4 | 5 | Cbee 5 |
| 6 | Cbee 5 | 6 | Cbee 6 |
| 7 | Cbee 6 | 7 | Cbee 7 |
| 8 | Cbee 7 | 8 | Cbee 8 |
| 9 | Cbee 8 | 9 | Cbee 9 |
| 10 | Cbee 9 | 10-11-12 | N/A |
| 11-12 | Cbee 10 | ||
Sample papers as well as suggested resources for oral spelling task are provided by the organizer on what’s app group, shared via email or available to download on the official website of ELPC Malaysia.
Exam papers for the preliminary and semi-final round will be delivered to the State coordinators through the official representative of ELPC Malaysia team on the exam day a few hours before the competition starts and need to stay closed until the exam start time. The exam papers need to be sent back to the main office of ELPC organization right after the exam is over. The materials delivered late will not be marked.