British Physics Olympiad (BPhO): How Students in China Can Register, What to Expect in Rounds 0 and 1, and How Far You Can Go

Students studying A-Level Physics often hear about the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO). Its office is located in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford. It is the competition used to select the UK national team for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) and is also open to overseas schools. However, many parents and students only know it as "a single exam." In fact, BPhO is a whole series of competitions divided by year group. The official website clearly outlines which competitions students in China can enter, the registration channels, and after which round overseas students are no longer eligible. This article is compiled based on the BPhO official website's guidelines for the 2026–27 academic year.

1. What Competitions Does BPhO Offer?

The official website lists two tracks: BPhO and BAAO (British Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad), comprising a total of fifteen competitions. Those most relevant to the A-Level stage (UK Year 12 and Year 13) are listed below (dates are for schools in the UK):

The official website notes that for written exams such as Round 0, Round 1, and the Senior Physics Challenge, international schools take the exam after the UK. Dates can be found on each competition's page: for example, for international schools, Round 0 is on October 2, 2026, Round 1 is on November 16, and the Senior Physics Challenge written exam is on March 8, 2027.

2. How Can Students in China Register?

• Registration through schools only: The official FAQ states that students must participate through their school, registered by a teacher. Students cannot register themselves, and the website asks students not to inquire on their own;
• Schools outside the UK and Europe use the ASDAN channel: Schools in China register through ASDAN China, while Asian schools outside China register through ASDAN Asia;
• Online schools not accepted: The website states it cannot accommodate online schools or schools that primarily teach online;
• Homeschooled students: They can contact a local school with participating students to arrange to take the exam there.

In other words, for students who want to participate, the first step is to ask their school's physics teacher whether the school is registered. Specific fees and registration deadlines are subject to notifications from ASDAN and the school.

3. How Far Can Overseas Students Progress?

This is the most easily misunderstood point. The official website is very clear:

• For Round 1 and most earlier competitions, UK citizenship is not required, as long as students meet the year group requirements for each competition;
• For Round 2 and the subsequent Oxford training camp, only students eligible for the UK team are invited: those studying at a secondary school, sixth form college, or further education college in the UK, who are UK citizens, or who have been educated in the UK since Year 8 or earlier;
• The website also specifically adds: an increasing number of overseas students are studying A-Level in the UK and achieving high scores in Round 1, but this does not make them eligible for Round 2.

Therefore, for students at international schools in China, the highest round they can participate in is Round 1; it is not a pathway to the IPhO. Its value lies in: a certificate from a national physics problem-solving competition, and an opportunity to systematically train problem-solving skills.

4. Round 0: The New "Qualifying Round"

• Why it was introduced: In November 2024, Round 1 received nearly 3,800 scripts, making marking unmanageable, so Round 0 was introduced as a preliminary round for Round 1; 2026 is the second year Round 0 is being held;
• Format: 1 hour, 25 multiple-choice questions, calculators are not allowed, but students may use the formula booklet provided for public exams; 1 point per question, no penalty for wrong answers;
• Difficulty: Several questions are at the medium difficulty level of A-Level exam boards like AQA and OCR, several are at the A-Level extension level, followed by more challenging questions;
• Scope: Year 12 content in England, including the photoelectric effect, circular motion, and capacitance (only requiring Q = CV, not charging/discharging over time); electric fields, magnetic fields, gravitational fields, and particle physics are not tested;
• Relationship with Round 1: Round 1 invitations are based solely on Round 0 scores; the official website states there are no other routes.

The official website recommends preparing by practicing physics multiple-choice questions, such as those on Isaac Science (formerly Isaac Physics); the website also provides sample questions for Round 0.

5. Round 1: The Real Problem-Solving Competition

• Format: 2 hours. The first section is a set of short questions (out of 50 points), taking about an hour; the second section consists of long questions; choose two out of four, each worth 25 points, taking about an hour; the two sections can be taken separately;
• Taken in school, scanned, and uploaded to BPhO, and uniformly graded by the marking team in Oxford; results are emailed to teachers by late December;
• Awards: The approximate quotas given by the official website are Top Gold: 150, Gold: 200, Silver: 400, Bronze I: 400, Bronze II: 400, and Commendation: 1,000.

The official website has two statements about this competition that every participant should read:

• It is not a replica of A-Level, nor can it be used to predict A-Level grades; expecting an A* in A-Level does not guarantee a high score here;
• Students who make the national team typically score 70%–80%, but much lower scores still demonstrate deep knowledge and strong problem-solving skills.

6. Other Competitions Worth Taking

• Physics Challenge (Year 13): 1 hour, 50 points, free, marked in school; 20 points and above receive a Merit certificate; others receive a Participation certificate. The website says it is related to A-Level topics but not for A-Level preparation; the goal is to extend thinking to applications, and it can also be used as interview practice;
• Senior Physics Challenge (Year 12): The online version consists of two sets of 20 multiple-choice questions each, focusing on physics concepts and wider reading; the website says it is "not an Olympiad-level challenge"; the written version is a 1-hour problem-solving paper with a few short questions plus one or two long questions, testing only the application of core knowledge, but the question style is more advanced than what students usually encounter; the website recommends trying four past papers first;
• Computational Challenge (Year 11–13): Start with a 10-week online course, then complete computational physics problems at Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels between April and August. It can be done individually or in pairs, using any suitable software (Excel is fine), and submit a screen recording of no more than three minutes explaining the solution. The website states no programming background is required.

7. How to Prepare

Here is practical advice based on experience:

1. Start with past papers: The official website has past papers for each competition. Do one set first to get a feel for the question style and how it differs from A-Level;
2. Practice speed and estimation for multiple-choice questions: Calculators are not allowed in Round 0, so practice order-of-magnitude estimation and quick elimination regularly;
3. Brush up on math tools: Round 1 is more math-heavy than A-Level; be proficient in calculus, vectors, and approximation methods. Studying A-Level Further Mathematics concurrently will also be helpful; see How to Take A-Level Further Mathematics;
4. Use official extension materials: The BPhO website offers the "Upgrade Your Physics" booklet for free, covering extension topics;
5. Don't neglect your regular A-Level studies: Competitions are a bonus, but A-Level grades are the foundation of your university application. For how to tackle difficult parts in A-Level, see Aiming for an A* in A-Level Physics.

In Conclusion

For students at international schools in China, BPhO is a pathway to test your physics problem-solving skills and earn a certificate from a national UK competition: register through your school via ASDAN China, take Round 0 first, and be invited to Round 1 based on your score. It does not lead to the IPhO national team, but the official website highly values the Round 1 certificate: earning a certificate of any color demonstrates that you are a highly capable physics problem solver.

For how to prepare for the 9702 exam itself, see our article on How to Take A-Level Physics. If you need tutoring for physics competitions or A-Level Physics, feel free to chat with our teachers.

Verification Note: This article was verified against the official British Physics Olympiad website (bpho.org.uk) in September 2026. The competition list, year groups, durations, and 2026–27 academic year dates are from the "Competition Dates & Events" page and individual competition pages; exam dates for international schools are from the Round 0, Round 1, and Senior Physics Challenge pages; registration methods, the ASDAN channel, regulations for online and homeschooled students, and the eligibility scope for overseas students are from the FAQ and teacher pages; eligibility requirements for Round 2 are from the Round 2 page; the reasons for introducing Round 0, its format, scope, and the statement that "there are no other routes to Round 1" are from the Round 0 and Round 1 pages; the structure of Round 1 is from the description on the Round 0 page; award quotas and descriptions of the competition's nature are from the Round 1 page; descriptions of other competitions are from their respective pages. Note: The Round 0 page states Round 1 is on November 6 in one place, which is inconsistent with November 12 on the Round 1 page and the overall schedule. This article adopts the latter; please refer to notifications from your school and ASDAN. The preparation advice provided is based on our experience.

References:

• BPhO: Competition Dates & Events
• BPhO: Round 0
• BPhO: Round 1
• BPhO: Round 2
• BPhO: FAQs