Primary
Explorers
Years 3–6
Grades 2–5 · typically ages 7–11
Accessible high challenge. Students meet the season’s theme at primary depth and build confident reasoning across all six events.
2026/27 Season
Divisions & Eligibility
Every student competes in one of three divisions, alongside students at the same stage of school. This page explains which division each student belongs in, how students from any school system are placed, and how teams are formed.
The Three Divisions
All three divisions follow the same annual theme and the same six events, with depth and challenge scaled to each stage.
Lower secondary
Junior
Years 7–9
Grades 6–8 · typically ages 11–14
Deeper reasoning. Greater depth and complexity in every event, with more independent thinking.
Upper secondary
Senior
Years 10–13
Grades 9–12 · typically ages 14–18
Advanced challenge. The full depth of the season’s curriculum, with the independence expected of upper secondary students.
How Divisions Are Decided
Year group decides
A student’s division is set by their school year group at the start of the 2026/27 school year.
One division all season
That division holds at every stage: the regional round, the championship round and the Global Final, even though the Global Final falls in the following school year. A student in their final year of school who qualifies remains eligible for the Global Final after leaving school.
Playing up, never down
A younger student may compete in a higher division. A team competes in the division of its most senior member, and a student who plays up takes that division’s papers and events in full. No student may compete in a division below their own.
Schools Outside the British System
Find your school’s system in the table. If your year groups do not line up with it, including schools whose year begins in January, the student’s date of birth decides.
| Division | British | Grade or Class | IB | Born between |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explorers | Years 3–6 | Grades 2–5 | Upper PYP | 1 Sep 2015 – 31 Aug 2019 |
| Junior | Years 7–9 | Grades 6–8 | MYP 1–3 | 1 Sep 2012 – 31 Aug 2015 |
| Senior | Years 10–13 | Grades 9–12 | MYP 4–5, DP | 1 Sep 2008 – 31 Aug 2012 |
“Grade or Class” covers American, Indian, Gulf ministry and similar systems, in which Grade 1 or Class 1 is the first year of school at about age six. Dates of birth apply to the 2026/27 season.
Which Division? Worked Examples
A Grade 5 student at an American-curriculum school.
ExplorersGrade 5 is the equivalent of Year 6, the final Explorers year.
An IB student in MYP Year 4.
SeniorMYP 4 is the equivalent of Year 10, the first Senior year.
A student born on 14 March 2013, at a school whose year runs from January to November.
JuniorThe year groups do not line up with the table, so date of birth decides. Born between 1 Sep 2012 and 31 Aug 2015 is Junior.
A team of one Year 6 student and three Year 7 students.
JuniorA team competes in the division of its most senior member. The Year 6 student plays up and sits the Junior papers.
A Year 8 student asked to make up the numbers in an Explorers team.
Not permittedNo student may compete in a division below their own. The team could instead invite a younger student to play up.
A Year 13 student whose team qualifies for the Global Final.
SeniorThe division holds all season, and a final-year student who qualifies stays eligible after leaving school.
Forming Teams
Teams of four
A team is four students, all entered in the same division. All six events are designed around a team of four, so we recommend full teams wherever possible. There is no limit on the number of teams a school may enter.
Teams of two or three can be accommodated. They carry a slight scoring disadvantage in the team events, particularly the STEM Innovation Pitch and the Team Orienteering Challenge, and the disadvantage grows as the team gets smaller.
If you are one student short
- Draw a fourth student from an adjacent year group within the same division.
- Invite a younger student to play up from the division below.
- Combine partial teams from the same school into one full team.
- Contact us before registering to discuss the options.
Not every round runs every division. Check Calendar & Registration for the divisions offered at each round before entering teams.
Ready to Register?
Check which divisions your round offers, then enter your teams. If you are unsure where a student belongs, ask us before registering and we will confirm it.