The talented students of UTAR displayed their language skills at the Eurasian Spelling Bee (ESB) 2024 Competition, tackling the challenges of English spelling with determination and skill. Organised by Caya Academy, the competition aimed to enhance the English language proficiency of students from various educational institutions.

The ESB 2024 Competition promotes the English language, improves students’ spelling abilities, inspires a love for reading, expands vocabulary, refines pronunciation, and addresses literacy needs in schools.

To ensure a strong showing for UTAR, the Eurasian Spelling Bee committee, led by the Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) academic Ms Tulasi Subramaniam, formed a dedicated team of student participants and trainers from the CFS Kampar Campus.

The team consisted of four talented CFS students, namely Loo Chian Yuk and Ryan Chin Hao Yenn from the Foundation in Science programme, and Nerissa Yap Yi Xuan and Ryan Guo Chun Onn from the Foundation in Arts programme. They were coached by CFS academics Ms Cynthia Choo Pei Yi and Mr Lionel Keith Vytialingam, who prepared them for the challenging BEE 6 level of the competition.

Balancing preparation for the ESB with their final university examinations was a tough challenge for the participants. Despite this, their perseverance and commitment were clear as they managed to excel in both their studies and competition training.

The preliminary round of the ESB took place on 18 May 2024, conducted online via Zoom. The competition tested their spelling and vocabulary skills through four tasks, such as correcting misspelt words, identifying and spelling words based on prompts, filling in blanks from audio recordings, and generating a list of words starting with a given letter based on specific definitions.

It was a challenging test of wits and words, where three participants were eliminated. However, Ryan Chin Hao Yenn successfully advanced to the semi-final round held on 29 June 2024.

Ryan Chin gave his best in the semi-finals but was ultimately eliminated. All participants were awarded certificates of participation for their efforts. They are, however, determined to take on the challenge again in future competitions.