If you’re new to the city and have a child in the last four years of their schooling, finding a school that is the right fit can feel especially daunting. This is your ultimate guide to everything you need to know to choose a secondary school in Hong Kong.
Read MoreSchool closures, online schooling, exam cancellations, an IB grading furore and US visa uncertainties: the Class of 2020 has undoubtedly had a tough year as a result of the upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for many students plans for the following academic year may still be evolving.
If the UK has recently fallen onto your radar as a destination of interest, it is not too late to apply for September 2020 entry. Similarly, if you have already made an application through UCAS but failed to meet either your insurance or firm conditional offer, all is not lost. Read on to find out everything you need to know about UCAS Clearing 2020.
Read MoreThe school year may be over for many students (yay!) but for students halfway through the IB Diploma Programme the summer, while a chance to take a short break, is also an opportunity to get a head start on upcoming deadlines. One assignment that students will need to spend time working on is their Extended Essay (EE). A mandatory component of the Diploma Programme, this 4,000-word independent research essay is the behemoth that makes many an IB student quake in their boots and lie awake at night. But fear not! The EE can be broken down into a manageable, stepped process and - with the right guidance - can be turned into not just a manageable task but one of the most rewarding learning experiences that IB students are exposed to. Here are my key student tips for success.
Read MoreAs the summer draws nearer, all of my students who are about to go into their last year of school will be preparing their university applications. For many students in Hong Kong, British universities are a fail-safe choice because of their strong brand recognition, excellent quality of education and high level of international student support. Another advantage to applying to the UK is the centralised application process through UCAS which makes applying relatively simple and less time-consuming than some other destinations as only one personal statement is required which is sent to all five universities the student applies to. However, this also means that one piece of writing has an outsized effect on all applications so pull up a pew for some top notch advice on how to write a winning personal statement.
Read MoreAs a member of the curriculum review team for the Extended Essay, I was recently asked to feed back to the team leader my thoughts on the role of reflection in the EE process. Reflection received a new and substantial emphasis in the current EE guide (first assessment 2018) with the introduction of the Researcher’s Reflection Space (RSS), formal reflection sessions and the Reflections on planning and progress form, more commonly known as the RPPF. What follows here are my own thoughts on the role of the reflection in the EE process, in light of the input of the many thoughtful contributions from my fellow team members.
Read MoreThis academic year Hong Kong’s schools, teachers and parents have been handed the challenge of managing students’ education through distance and online learning for an extended period of time. While this presents some significant upheavals to daily routines, especially when parents are also working from home, there are ways to manage home learning so that students can still continue with their studies and get the most out of the current situation. With a little bit of planning ahead and the setting of expecations, home schooling needn’t put a lot of strain of your family routines. Here are my tips for managing schooling in a home environment:
Read MoreIf you have a child, or are a student, going into the IB Diploma Programme next year or in the future, subject choices are a big deal, and it can be a bit confusing when you first start doing your research. A full IB Diploma student needs to take all three Core components, and in addition six subjects across at least five different subject areas – three at Higher Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL). Most schools offer more than just six subjects in the IB Diploma Programme so students have the opportunity to select the combination subjects that match their interests, abilities and future aspirations the best.
Read MoreApplying to top universities is more competitive than ever. Nearly half a million international students were studying at institutions in the UK in 2017-18 and the number of students from Hong Kong and mainland China studying in UK higher education has more than doubled in the last decade. One in eight students at the University of Manchester is now from mainland China alone. Adding to competition for places is the fact that many international students are concentrated in a small number of disciplines: business, accounting, finance, economics and engineering. The situation is mirrored in the US where colleges have seen the number of applications they receive exponentially increase, resulting in admit rates at the most selective institutions fall to below 5 per cent. A precarious political situation in Hong Kong is likely to increase oversees applications from local students in 2019-20 further still.
Read MoreBenjamin Franklin once quipped that only two things in life were certain: death and taxes. While taxes are certainly unavoidable in adult life, for most students it is the sitting of exams that looms more immediately, and often menacingly, on the horizon. And living with an anxious teen in the run up to important exams is no walk in the park for parents either! While students know that they are expected to study, popular but passive strategies such as re-reading notes and highlighting textbooks are rarely effective. And that’s a shame since research shows that proper exam revision can increase performance considerably. So, ditch the reading and highlighting and get on board with these engaging teacher-approved techniques for exam success:
Read MoreThe education provided by the IB is unique in many ways – its global perspective and its breadth and depth of subject choices - but it is the Core elements of Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and the Extended Essay (EE) that really set it apart from other post-16 curricula.
Read MoreWhile I was in Cambridge last weekend for the 20 year anniversary of my matriculation (how time flies!), I met with Dr Matt Bullimore, Widening Participation Officer on Churchill College’s admissions team to discuss application and admission trends to Cambridge University. We discussed many interesting topics from the impact of Brexit on Cambridge University applications to the new trend of British universities making unconditional offers to students to what is really meant by a “typical offer”.
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