Did you participate in the Preliminary Round? If your score didn’t qualify you for the World Finals or for the Regional Qualifiers, but is still higher than 70% of the first-ranked student score, you have another chance! Read below!

OR…

Haven’t participated in the Preliminary Round yet, but still want the chance to join the Bucksmore College courses in Brighton? Book a Hippo Summer Camp now, and it will turn into a Play-off if you qualify! Read here!

In collaboration with Bucksmore Education, Hippo is organising Play-Off Qualifiers to provide more students with the opportunity to reach the Hippo 2025 World Finals. This exciting opportunity includes a five-day intensive Hippo English Language preparation course hosted at Oxford International College in Brighton, UK, from 5^th to 12^th August 2025.

Eligibility

The Play-Off Qualifiers are open to students in Hippo 2, Hippo 3, Hippo 4, and Hippo 5 categories (both regular and special ones). The following students are eligible to participate:
• Students with top rankings who did not qualify for the World Finals or Regional Qualifiers.
• Students who qualified for the Regional Qualifiers but either did not attend or did not advance to the World Finals.
To qualify, students must achieve at least 70% of the points scored by the top-ranking student. However, places for the Play-Off Qualifiers are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Travel and Accommodation

Participants are required to arrange and cover their own travel expenses. The package provided will include:
• All teaching and learning materials
• Accommodation
• All meals
• Arrival/departure transfers
• Activities
• One excursion

Please note that no accompanying teachers or parents will be allowed. Students will be housed in a student-only college with 24/7 supervision by guardians.

Course and Examination Details

The course will be taught by Bucksmore Education teachers and will consist of 15 to 20 hours of classroom instruction, with each class containing up to 20 students. Students will be grouped by their Hippo category and entry test results. The lessons are tailored to meet the students’ needs and will include Hippo mock examinations to help them prepare for the main event. On the sixth day, the Play-Off Qualifiers exam will be held, consisting of a Hippo Test of English, of the same format as the one of the Regional Qualifiers: 30 Use of English open-ended questions and a crossword puzzle. Sample tests are available on the Sample Papers page of the Hippo website.

Awards

The winner of each category will be invited to the World Finals with the results being announced during the Awards Ceremony held on the evening of the examination day.

For more details, including costs and additional information, download the Play-Off Qualifiers brochure.