From the Pentathlon to the Triathlon — A Comparative Analysis of the Structure of the International Geographical Olympiad and the National Selection Competition

Abstract

The International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) is the largest geography competition in the world among students attending secondary schools. It measures different mainly practice-oriented skills such as the analysis of geographical data and suggestions for local development. In this study, I compare the tasks of this competition and the Hungarian selection competition to highlight the main differences. I use the tests opened to the public in these two competitions. The study also attempts to present some of the challenges of the preparation process based on the preparation experience between 2018 and 2021 with ten students. In the conclusion, I identify six key activities which help to develop the preparation process. The study consists of three large units. In the first, I summarize the general characteristics of the national selection competitions. Next, I analyse the structure, rounds, and tasks of iGeo and Hungeo. In the last section, I present the Hungeo-specific tasks which only occur in the national competition.