Academic Cup Round 2: Nanjing and Hong Kong Book Their Places in the Final

Round 2 of this year’s Academic Cup produced two compelling semi-finals — and set up a repeat of last year’s final.

The results were:

British School of Guangzhou 70 – 115 Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong

The British School of Nanjing 150 – 135 The British International School Shanghai, Puxi

That means Nanjing will once again face Hong Kong in the final. Last year, Hong Kong came out on top, and they now have the chance to win three consecutive Academic Cup titles. Can Nanjing turn the tables this time?

Hong Kong 115 – 70 Guangzhou

Despite being one of the youngest teams remaining in the competition, the British School of Guangzhou kept pace with the reigning champions through the opening Science & Technology and History & Geography rounds.

The decisive moment came in Arts & Literature, where Hong Kong produced an outstanding round, scoring 35 points and opening a lead that proved too difficult to recover.

Guangzhou continued to compete strongly, and the teams were closely matched again in General Knowledge. However, Hong Kong’s advantage was enough to secure their place in another final.

Nanjing 150 – 135 Puxi

The second match was even closer and produced the highest combined score of this year’s competition so far, with Nanjing and Puxi amassing an impressive 285 points between them.

Nanjing made the stronger start, building a valuable lead through Science & Technology and History & Geography.

Puxi, however, staged an excellent fightback. They outscored Nanjing in both Arts & Literature and General Knowledge, steadily reducing the deficit and ensuring the contest remained alive until the final questions.

In the end, Nanjing’s early advantage proved just enough, and they held on for a 150–135 victory to secure their place in the final.

The breadth and depth of knowledge on display throughout the match was exceptional. Of the 40 questions asked, only five went unanswered by both teams:

That is a remarkable level of general knowledge from both teams and a testament to the quality of competition in two outstanding semi-finals.

A Repeat of Last Year’s Final

So, once again, it comes down to Nanjing versus Hong Kong.

Hong Kong enter the final as reigning champions and will be hoping to complete a remarkable three-in-a-row.

Nanjing, meanwhile, return to the final with unfinished business after last year’s defeat.

Will Hong Kong make it three consecutive Academic Cup titles, or can Nanjing finally get the edge over the champions?

Congratulations to Guangzhou and Puxi on their excellent performances, and well done to all four teams for another outstanding round of Academic Cup competition.

…and the answers to the five unanswered questions?