Chemistry Olympiad Sri Lanka (COSL)¶

ශ්‍රී ක ා රසායන විද්‍යා ඔලිම්පපියාඩ්

Overview¶

Logo

The Chemistry Olympiad Sri Lanka (COSL) is Sri Lanka's national chemistry competition for pre-university students, organized by the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon (IChemC) through its COSL committee. IChemC became the official national organizer in 2016, and the national olympiad has been held annually since 2017. The programme identifies and trains the top chemistry students to represent Sri Lanka at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).

Key Website¶

Competition Format¶

The selection proceeds through several stages:

Stage 1 — Preliminary Screening Exam
- 2.5-hour written test at approximately 9 centres nationwide
- ~500 students participate
- Offered in Sinhala, Tamil, and English
Stage 2 — Final Round

The top 30–35 candidates (selected by exam score or A/L results) sit a second, IChO-calibre examination
Stage 3 — Training Workshops

Finalists attend theory and practical workshops at the IChemC facility in Rajagiriya
Stage 4 — Team Selection

4 students are chosen to represent Sri Lanka at the IChO

Eligibility¶

GCE A/L students with three A passes (including Chemistry), under 20 years of age on July 1 of the competition year, and not yet enrolled at any university. Cambridge/Edexcel A* grades are also accepted.

Student Outcomes¶

No explicit university admission benefits (such as guaranteed university placement or bonus points) have been formally documented. The olympiad is framed primarily as a prestige and enrichment opportunity. Medalists are publicly recognized by IChemC at formal ceremonies.

History¶

2016 — IChemC became the official national organizer for the chemistry olympiad
2017 — First annual national olympiad held
2018–2019 — Sri Lanka attended the IChO as an observer nation
2020 — Competitive debut at the 52nd IChO (remote, originally Turkey): 3 bronze + 1 HM
2022 — First silver medal
2023 — All 4 delegates won bronze at the 55th IChO in Zurich

Sri Lanka attended the IChO as an observer in 2018 and 2019 before making its competitive debut at the 52nd IChO in 2020 (held remotely).

Past Exams Archive¶

Note

Only preliminary round public docs can be found.

Year	English	Sinhala	Tamil
2025	Link	Link	Link
2024	Link	Link	Link
2023	Link	Link	Link
2022	Question Solution	Question Solution	Question Solution
2020	Question Solution	Link	Link
2019	Link Solution Solution	Link	Link
2018	Link	Link	Link

Junior Chemistry Olympiad¶

Note

A Junior Chemistry Olympiad was launched in 2025