Category: A-Level and IB

At Think Tutors, we proudly offer expert guidance in both the International Baccalaureate and A-Level programs. With our refined understanding of the nuances inherent in both curricula, students can expect unparalleled support and mentorship to achieve their academic potential in their respective courses and examinations.

 

Comparing the Similarities: IB vs A-Levels

 

Both curricula are renowned for presenting a challenging and rigorous syllabus that prepares students for the rigors of university-level education. Both the International Baccalaureate and A-Levels demand a comprehensive evaluation of students’ grasp of the course material through exams administered at the conclusion of the course. The ultimate goal of both programs is to foster and refine critical thinking, autonomous learning, and research competencies in students.

 

IB vs A-Levels: Key Differences to Consider

 

Availability:

 

The IB program is offered in both the UK and in international schools, whereas A-Levels are only available in the UK and countries affiliated with the British education system. As such, the IB may be more suitable for students who happen to travel frequently or are living outside of the UK on a permanent basis.

 

Curriculum:

 

The IB offers a broader curriculum that includes six subjects from different disciplines, whereas the A-Level program is more subject-specific and allows students to study up to four subjects in depth; however, most students choose to drop a subject after their first year of studying.

 

This element of the IB, understandably, makes the IB considerably harder than A-Levels, and so it should be chosen with this in mind. Students taking the IB must choose subjects from the following categories: Maths, Science, Arts, Individuals and Societies, Language Acquisition and, Language and Literature.

 

The IB’s breadth will appeal to those who are exceptionally talented and/or are yet to realise what they want to specialise in at university or at work. Whereas A-Levels may be preferable for students who wish to study their subjects in depth without the distractions of other subjects in which they may have little interest.

 

Assessment:

 

In the IB program, students are evaluated on both in-school assignments and exams, in addition to an extended essay, a theory of knowledge (ToK) course, and a creativity, activity, and service (CAS) project. Whereas the A-Level program assesses a student’s ability through coursework and examinations.

 

Our elite tutors possess a wealth of knowledge in both the IB and A-Level systems and are well-versed in the intricacies of crafting a personalised academic plan that will enable students to attain success. Beyond instilling mastery of subject matter, our tutors offer invaluable insights into optimal revision strategies, time management techniques, and university application strategies, ensuring that each and every student receives comprehensive and holistic guidance towards achieving exceptional grades.

 

Emphasis:

 

The IB program places more emphasis on creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving, while the A-Level program is more exam-oriented. A-Levels come with a more structured syllabus, whereas the IB encourages freedom of thought, independent learning, and depth of learning through group and individual research.

 

Scoring System:

 

With very different scoring systems, it can be confusing for parents when trying to understand how the IB is scored. The IB uses a points system on a scale from 1 (the lowest grade) to 7 (the highest grade). The highest score a student can achieve is 45 points, yet 42 points can be achieved from 6 subject choices, with 3 points awarded for the three core programs. On the other hand, the highest a student can score in their A-Levels is A*A*A*, with the exception of some who are able to score A*A*A*A!

 

IB and A-Level at UK Independent Schools

 

Several schools in the UK provide both A-Levels and IB. Charterhouse, Bedford, Wellington, Cheltenham Ladies College, Sevenoaks, Oakham, and Bradfield College are just a few that have a proven track record of securing excellent IB scores. For more information on how to successfully enter the aforementioned schools, please visit our school admissions page, or alternatively, contact us.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, both the IB and A-Level programs offer students a challenging and rigorous education that prepares them for university-level education. However, the availability, curriculum, assessment, emphasis, and scoring systems of each program differ. So students should carefully consider these differences when deciding which program is most suitable for them.

 

Ultimately, the choice between IB and A-Level will depend on personal preferences, academic strengths, and career goals of the individual.

 

Contact Think Tutors

 

Organising tuition or mentoring with one of Think Tutors’ elite tutors or mentors is an excellent way to secure excellent IB and A-Level grades. We enhance performance through repetition, careful preparation, and confidence building. Please contact us if you are interested in finding an IB or A-Level tutor, or our Education Director, to secure advice on which program is best for you or your child.

 

Interests and Passions:

 

The first step in selecting A-Level subjects for a student should be to consider their interests and passions. If the student has a genuine interest in the subject, they are more likely to enjoy studying it and thus have an increased motivation to revise and work hard. Students should ask themselves questions such as, “Do I prefer the method of mathematical subjects or the creativity and critical thinking involved in the humanities or art?”

 

It is important for the student to choose subjects that they are genuinely interested in, as targets and objectives will be more easily achievable.

 

University Requirements:

 

The second step is researching the academic requirements of the universities they are interested in applying to. For example, if a student is interested in pursuing Medicine, it would be wise to choose subjects such as Biology and Chemistry. Similarly, if the student is interested in studying Law, subjects such as History or Politics should be chosen, in addition to A-Level Law. Universities have different requirements for the A-Level subjects they accept for certain courses. To find out more, The Which Universities Guide is a great resource for this, as is the UCAS Course Finder website.

 

Career Aspirations:

 

The third step for a student is to consider their future career aspirations. Although it may feel distant at the time, different A-Level subjects do indeed lead to different career paths. An aspiring Nuclear Physicist, for example, would be better placed having studied Physics and Maths, as opposed to History and English. This is not to say that a student cannot be a cross-disciplinarian, rather, that if they have a clear goal from the start, choosing a relevant A-Level certainly sets a strong foundation.

 

A daunting prospect. However, research the various career paths that are available, speak to professionals already in the industry and reach out to family and friends; perhaps they will be able to impart some wisdom on this decision.

 

Difficulty of the Subject:

 

The fourth step is for a student to consider the difficulty of the A-Level subjects they have in mind. Ultimately, students want to place themselves in the strongest position possible when it comes to applying for future study or employment. For example, if a student finds it difficult to read for prolonged periods of time, it would be wise to avoid choosing a subject such as English Literature.

 

This doesn’t mean don’t challenge yourself; self-improvement is a key part of confidence building. At times, a student must choose a subject they find complex for a course they wish to study at university or to fulfil a specific career goal. If this is the case, it may be wise to enlist the help of a private tutor to private tutor to safeguard success.

 

Summary:

 

In conclusion, choosing the right A-Level subjects is a vital step for students, as it will determine their future career paths and university options. It is advantageous to consider one’s interests and passions, future career aspirations, the academic requirements of universities, and the difficulty level of the subjects. With scrupulous attention and research, students will be able to choose the right A-Level subjects to support their goals and set them on the path to success.

 

Contact Think Tutors:

 

To ensure that you are making the best choices for your A-Level subjects, we recommend seeking guidance from one of Think Tutors’ elite tutors or mentors. We are able to provide clarity and direction when deciding on A-Level subject options. Please do not hesitate to  contact us if you are interested in finding a tutor to help you or your child to discuss their options for A-levels or any other inquiry.

Take Regular Breaks

Parents can find the process of encouraging their children to study quite frustrating. Some children do just need guidance in how to manage their time effectively. Many young learners can also benefit from a short break before their revision begins. Going straight from a Friday in the classroom to a Saturday morning revision session isn’t always the best idea. A short break can help refresh their mind before revision begins in earnest.

Minimise Distractions

The revision workspace should be quiet, tidy and free from distractions. Mobile phones and televisions can really impact the effectiveness of revision. If they struggle to work alone, allow them the freedom to meet friends and work together.

Make a Revision Plan

A proper revision plan that sets out subjects that need to be covered is vital and offers the best opportunity for a parent to have a positive impact on their child’s studying. Not all young learners are natural project managers so an adult’s influence at this stage in the process can be important.

 

Topics that need the most work should be prioritised. By knowing what needs to be covered, and for how long, your child will use their time more effectively and achieve more. Mixing up textbook revision with past papers offers a good change in pace. Starting with single questions rather than the whole paper is sensible, along with sticking to the time limits set for the questions.

 

On the subject of time, revision sessions should be no more than 90 minutes and an allowance for treats between sessions is a good idea. Revision should be recognised as a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line.

Stay Healthy

Eating and drinking well during revision will make all the difference. Staying hydrated is key to keeping mentally alert, and nutritious meals will help boost your energy levels. Also, don’t forget that time off to meet friends or play sport, allows a child to unwind and stay healthy. With lots of time sat down behind a desk, physical activity offers a welcome break and getting the blood pumping around the body helps deliver more oxygen to the brain, reducing tiredness and increasing productivity.

How can Think Tutors Help?

It’s also important to find out what study methods work for you – be that notes, diagrams, voice memos, or flash cards. If you would like to learn more about how a professional tutor or mentor can help you through revision, please contact us.

Personal Statement Structure and Format

When it comes to structure and format, it’s important to remember that you only have 4000 characters and 47 lines to work with, so each paragraph must have both purpose and meaning, and include all the vital information. With qualifications, interests, experience and motivations all important to cover, how is it best to format your personal statement?

 

Sandwiched between an introduction and conclusion should be the majority of your content. We suggest starting with a paragraph on what is most important, your academic achievements, before explaining your hobbies and interests outside the classroom, followed by your experience if you are applying for law or medicine.

 

Some students have found arranging their personal statement in a past-present-future style offers an effective structure. In this method, the introduction describes why you have decided to study your course (past), the main body considers your current interests and motivations (present) and the conclusion summarises why you are looking forward to enrolling (future).

How to Begin a Personal Statement 

The introduction (along with the conclusion) is often considered the hardest part of writing a good personal statement. Whilst UCAS’ ‘Killer Opening‘ recommends starting with the main body, we advise students to start with whatever they are comfortable with. If you are not sure – try writing the main body first, then tackle the introduction and conclusion.

 

The perfect opening paragraph is original, avoids clichés, and confirms to the admissions team why you are a serious candidate. Mind mapping during the planning stage is ideal for this. With your course title in the centre, consider what particular modules you are drawn to and why you are enthusiastic about studying this course.

Concluding a Personal Statement 

Alongside the introduction, students often struggle writing an effective conclusion. A final chance to impart the admissions team with a lasting impression, the conclusion is a perfect opportunity to drive home the most important points in your application.

 

The best conclusions offer a clear snapshot of what you want to gain from your time at university, and come full circle from the points you established in your  introduction without adding any new information. Consider you are most looking forward to? Why this course in particular? And, most importantly: Why is this course right for you?

Tips on How to Make a Personal Statement Stand Out

There is not just one method to make a personal statement stand out  – as long as it covers the key questions within the general structure of an introduction, main body and conclusion, it can be highly successful. However, here are some general tips to ensure your personal statement is the best it can be:

 

• Write in the first person, only using ‘I’ when you really need to.
• Be informed. Research the course you want to study, and even try and speak to someone who is currently studying it so you have a clear picture of what you are applying for.
• Avoid clichés, as well as words such as ‘fascinated’ and ‘passionate’.
• Be prepared. Make a detailed plan and mind map to improve your structure and ensure you are covering everything you need to.
• Don’t worry about the word count too much with your first draft, it’s much easier to take words out than put them in.
• Draft, re-draft, and draft again.

 

When you are re-drafting, consider these key questions:

 

• Have I repeated myself?
• Is this cliché?
• Is my wording consistent?
• Does this sentence serve a purpose?

 

Above all, remember, be clear, concise and direct.

 

There are a lot of resources online to help you with your personal statement, from UCAS’S personal statement tool, to The Complete University Guide’s tips page. At Think Tutors we’re expertly equipped to consult on personal statements (at any stage in their creation) and we have a strong track record of bringing out the best in each and every applicant. Please contact us to find out more.

Contact Think Tutors 

From taking the first steps of writing, to polishing your final draft, this blog has covered the key steps for making your personal statement as good as it can be. For more information on Think Tutors services such as A-Level tuition and University tuition please contact us.

Building Creative Confidence

Dull writing can leave examiners yawning. At Think Tutors we have refined the art of essay writing instruction to perfection, working with industry-leading professionals trained at many of the world’s top universities. Here are just two tips that will brighten up your essays and make them exciting to read.

Creative Thinking Skills: The drop intro 

Capture the reader’s attention with a drop intro. Look at the essay title and think of a strange or striking example. Discuss it for a few lines, then zoom back in and answer the question head-on.

 

You might start with an anecdote, a quote, a shocking fact, or a story in the news.

 

Imagine you’re writing an essay about the climate crisis. You’ve been asked to discuss whether renewable energy can fully replace fossil fuels in the next 50 years.

 

It’s not exactly an inspiring question, and could yield some boring answers. Dodge the trap and dive straight in with some action:

 

Climate protesters set out to “swarm” the capital in April 2019. Organisers staged simultaneous demonstrations across London, blocking roads and even gluing themselves to trains to make their cause known. 

 

In the last few years, the fight for action on the climate crisis has reached fever pitch.

 

Now comes your argument. You could say: “But it’s too little, too late,” or “keeping the pressure up is the only way we will meet our zero-carbon goals”.

 

You can then build in material on renewable energy and fossil fuels. The trick is to get the reader excited first.

 

The key skill here is pulling back from your example and making sure you link it neatly to your argument – the line that normally comes first in an essay. It might help if you draft this part first, even though you’ll be saving it for your second paragraph.

 

It can be difficult to pull off, but a good drop intro shows you’re in control of your material.

 

From this point, it’s up to you — as long as you engage with the question and provide some strong examples, you’ll be on the right track.

Creative Thinking Skills: the snap judgement

The best essays pack a punch. For humanities questions that ask how successful a decision was, or how a writer achieves an effect, a quick snap-take response can lift a good essay to new heights.

 

Imagine you are answering the question: “How does Shakespeare use language and structure to portray King Lear’s death?”

 

Somewhere in your response, tell us exactly what you think. You can be quite chatty. The line can take on the tone of a review, or a boxing match commentator sizing up the competitors:

 

“Shakespeare pulls out all the stops as Lear cries in disbelief at his daughter’s death. It’s a heart-wrenching scene, and Shakespeare makes sure the audience knows it.”

 

Don’t be afraid to answer the question bluntly. You can heap up your evidence later.

 

Each paragraph could do with a line or two like this. They will help guide your analysis and signpost your argument in an exciting way for the reader.

 

These lines give your points a crisp framework – and lend your essay some welly.

 

Private Tutoring, Academic Mentoring and University Tutoring

It doesn’t matter where you are in your educational journey, essay writing skills (and writing abilities more broadly) are fundamental to your success and the realisation of your personal and academic goals. At Think Tutors we offer a wide range of services to help students hone their creative and analytic writing skills. We have worked with everyone from young children to graduate students.

The Latin Language

Some say Latin is a dead language. In so far that it is not spoken widely anymore, that is correct. However, others see it rather as an eternal language, useful in so many ways to understand not only the times we live in but also to connect us with the past. Just think how many times you have seen a company or organisation with a Latin name or motto. I’d reckon quite a few.

 

It is no accident that the subject that Latin is a part of, Classics, comes from the Latin word classis meaning ‘fleet’. When one comes to studying Latin, and Greek, ancient history and civilisation, you are learning a whole fleet of subjects encompassing history, politics, law, poetry, philosophy, drama, science, geography and more, that make up and can be found within classical literature. It’s also a sought-after degree at both Oxford and Cambridge, with many distinguished alumni in fields ranging from politics and literature to the military and journalism.

Learning Latin

This is what lies ahead for a student beginning Latin. Immediately, a student will be able to recognise the connections between Latin and English, the roots of our language, where words derive from, and how languages work. In this way it most definitely helps increase attainment in English and subjects requiring analytical thought such as Maths.

 

The Latin Language can also lead students to learn and love the Romance languages as well such as French, Spanish and Italian which have similarities. However, when learning Latin through translating Roman myths and history, and other writings, you can perceive the very roots of Western Civilisation and humanity itself; that there are things that we can learn about ourselves and our society and, if we open our minds to it, take it as an inspiration or a warning as to where we are heading.

Why Learn Latin

Latin is a wonderful language, and wonderful to study. It is delightful to hear that the British Government is encouraging more state schools to take up Latin, along with other modern languages as part of a pilot scheme. It is already building on a lot of work over the past decade by the charity Classics for all in giving more state school pupils the opportunity and resources to study Latin, Classical Greek, Ancient History and Classical Civilisation.

 

The linguistic links between Latin and English were the initial fascination for me, and enough of a spark to pursue Latin further and find my talent. Then I eventually transitioned to studying Classical Greek too, developing an interest in historical writing and rhetoric, and eventually leading to study Classics at university and a route into Law.

 

I have had the privilege to study Latin at school. It has also been a privilege for me to share my passion for Latin and Classical Greek for over ten years to independent and state school students alike, and it has been so rewarding to see them do so well. I look forward to even more students seizing this opportunity in the future… carpe diem!

Academic Support

If you’d like to find out more about learning Latin with an expert tutor, please contact us. We also offer online tutoring, and academic mentoring  across a variety of subjects. If you’re interested in studying classics at university (especially at Oxford or Cambridge) then connect with us as our academic and university mentors can offer invaluable insights and guidance on the admissions process and including tutors for university students.