Common entrance exams – Verbal reasoning tests (4)

January 26th, 2012 by Sara

Use the information below to find which one of the statements must be true.

Circle your answer.

58. Sam, Rishi, Carl, Hilary and Jane live in a row of 5 houses.

The houses are numbered from 20, going up in even numbers.

Jane lives next to Rishi.

Hilary lives at number 28.

Sam lives between Rishi and Hilary.

Which of the following statements must be true?

A Jane lives at number 26.

B Carl lives at number 22.

C Sam lives at number 24.

D Carl lives at number 20.

E Rishi lives at number 28.

In the following questions, the letters stand for numbers. Work out the sum and then write the answer as a letter in the brackets.

Example: If A = 1, B = 2, C = 4, D = 10

Write the answer to this sum as a letter:

B x C + B = ( D )

59. If A = 6, B = 7, C = 3, D = 24, E = 4

Write the answer to this sum as a letter:

B x E – D = ?

60. If A = 35, B = 4½, C = 21, D = 36, E = 2

Write the answer to this sum as a letter:

C ÷ E + B + C = ?

61. If A = 4, B = 24, C = 5, D = 32, E = 3

Write the answer to this sum as a letter:

C + E x A = ?

62. If A = 10, B = 15, C = 4, D = 25, E = 5

Write the answer to this sum as a letter:

D – A x E ÷ B = ?

63. If A = 6, B = 3, C = 30, D = 18, E = 12

Write the answer to this sum as a letter:

E ÷ B + A x B = ?

64. If A = 5, B = 8, C = 12, D = 4, E = 3

Write the answer to this sum as a letter:

C + E ÷ A = ?

65. If A = 3¼, B = 5¼, C = 4¼, D = ¾, E = 1¼

Write the answer to this sum as a letter:

C – A + C – E = ?

 

 

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January Exams!

January 18th, 2012 by Sara

During the month of January many academic exams are taken by students all over the UK. If you have prepared and revised well in advance you should have no worries sitting your exams. However, some students no matter how well they have prepared for exams they still suffer high stress levels a few days before exam dates are due. Below are a few tips to help you prepare for your exams.

  • Don’t panic! Exams are a challenge, think positively – you will succeed!
  • Use relaxation techniques to help settle your nerves, these can be used during the exam. Take a bottle of water with you (if permitted) – anxiety can make you thirsty.
  • Find out how much time you have for the exam so that you can split your time between questions and assure that all questions will be answered. Know what kind of questions you will be asked.
  • Read the whole paper first, answer the questions you know well, this increases your confidence and helps you stay relaxed. Mark the questions you are unsure of and tackle them last.

  • You will receive better marks for answering all questions than answering only some very well so make sure all questions receive an answer.
  • Take time with your handwriting, it must be legible so that the examiner can read it without difficulty. Check your spelling too!
  • If the exam involves long answers, leave some space at the end of the answer for additional comments or arguments that might spring to mind towards the end of the exam.
  • When the exam is over try to forget about it. There is nothing else you can do so it’s pointless going through the answers you put and discovering they differ to your friend!

If you are disappointed when you receive your exam results, consider finding a private tutor who can help with future exams or resits.

Best of luck!

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Your personal statement. University applications.

January 10th, 2012 by Sara

As the deadline approaches for university applications, many students will be finalising their application and perhaps struggling with their personal statement.

Here are a few useful tips to help you write a personal statement that tells universities why they should choose you!

  •  Your personal statement must have no more than 4000 characters.
  • The opening paragraph is generally the most important. You must grab the reader’s attention. The lead paragraph becomes the framework for the rest of the statement
  • It is important to explain why you want to study the course you are applying for so if your personal interests and hobbies are relevant, link them to the skills and experience required for the course.
  • Your statement will sound more convincing if you write about why an experience, activity or interest makes you a good candidate for the course.
  • Try to explain your strengths and why you are better than other applicants. Demonstrate how your life experiences prove that you can manage your time effectively or that you can cope under pressure when family or personal issues arise.
  • Your written statement must be well written, check for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. For courses such as English, this is of paramount importance!

Personal statement

  • Your personal statement must strongly support your desire to study your chosen degree.
  • Don’t forget to include any work experience relevant to your chosen course.
  • Your statement must reflect your understanding or knowledge about the course you are applying for.
  • If you are an international student tell universities why you want to study in the UK.
  • Explain what your long term goals will be be after completing a university course.
  • Be original. This is a “personal” statement so avoid cliché’s where possible. Try and write in a natural tone.


If you are stuck with your personal statement consider finding a private tutor. Many tutors have assisted students with their university applications.

Best of luck!

 

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Organising the year ahead. Happy 2012!

January 4th, 2012 by Sara

Now that the festive season has ended, it’s back to routine! Many students are overwhelmed at the thought of organising their time to study, take classes, prepare projects and so forth. Organisation is the keyword when planning study time, tuition lessons, exam dates or revision periods. January is a busy time of the year both for tutors and students so we have collected a few online resources to help manage your time, take notes, prepare projects and generally plan your busy year ahead.

Writeboard

This useful application can be used to share web-based text documents that let you save every edit, roll back to any version, and easily compare changes. It can be used for personal use and in collaboration with other users. Great for students and teachers!

Springnote

A great tool for group projects where group members can collaborate, create pages and share files. With 2GB of free file storage, numerous templates and advanced search functions this application can be accessed from an iPhone or from a computer anywhere in the world.

Kubbu

Fantastic e-learning tool for teachers. This handy application can help students revise and assimilate new material. It can create activities, matching games or crosswords and quizzes. The activities can be shared and exchanged with other teachers.

Evernote

A “must have” application that can be used with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device. Save your ideas, capture anything, search by keyword, tag or even printed and handwritten texts inside images.

Zotero

If your studies involve a lot of research this tool is invaluable. Zotero collects all your research in a single, searchable interface. You can add PDFs, images, audio and video files, plus snapshots of web pages too. It automatically indexes the full text contact of your library, enabling you to find exactly what you are looking for with just a few keystrokes.

Happy New Year!

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Merry Christmas from First Tutors!

December 19th, 2011 by Sara

 

First Tutors wishes all our students and tutors a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

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UK examination boards under investigation.

December 13th, 2011 by Sara

Fortunately, we don’t often hear about scams within the education sector in the UK although this week an inquiry has been launched in England and Wales due to claims that some examiners gave teachers “tips” on GCSE and A-level questions. Coincidentally in the USA, educators and students are still talking about the Long Island SAT scandal which was first revealed at the end of September 2011, although in this case, students were paying other students to sit SAT exams! Read more on the Long island SAT scandal here.

Back in the UK, The Daily Telegraph claims to have filmed an examiner telling teachers at a seminar which questions to expect. This has prompted the Education Secretary Michael Gove to order an official inquiry into the exam system.

The investigation found that teachers are paying up to £230 a day to attend seminars with chief examiners during which they are advised on exam questions and the exact wording that pupils should use to obtain higher marks. Two examiners have been suspended by the exam board WJEC although it insists the claims were due to a “misunderstanding” of its advice.

The Education Secretary said “Our exams system needs fundamental reform. The revelations confirm that the current system is discredited”.

The findings could add to growing fears over the apparent fall in standards in British schools which has led to grade inflation in exams over the past decade.

At First Tutors we monitor all student requests and if we find that a student is asking a teacher to “do the assignment” for them or “write their essay” we immediately take action and warn the student and the teacher that we do not approve or support such unethical tactics. Appropriately, most teachers are aware of these practises and clearly state that they can help, give advice, revise and correct work but under no circumstances will they provide bespoke essay writing or “ready to present” assignments for a student. If we do detect that a teacher agrees to these practises we suspend the request and delete the tutor’s account. We believe education to be a serious matter.

It seems that the current inquiry has a lot to do with exam boards as “businesses” and the need to maintain exam standards. Many experts believe there should be one regulated system. We welcome your comments.

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Live and Unsigned to be filmed for Sky TV!

December 1st, 2011 by Sara

A fly-on-the-wall series on the Live and Unsigned competition is coming to Sky TV, giving acts another reason to enter the competition! The documentary airing next year, will give an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of the competition.

The series will go beyond the glitz and glamour of the music industry and follow emerging bands and solo acts as they aim for stardom. This raw insight into what it takes to be successful will follow the drama and real life situations of the competition, as each act fights for survival on the road to the Grand Final of the competition at The O2 in London.

We will be there to see dreams coming true and to witness the pain of failure. With a live final at The O2, a recording contract, and celebrity judges, there’s a lot to play for. Whether it’s backstage tussles, pushy parents or acts going AWOL, the shows never go completely to plan!

The series will follow the dramas and divas involved in one of the UK’s biggest unsigned music competitions. It’s Airline and Pineapple Studios stirred with the high stakes of The X Factor and all the real life unpredictability of The Apprentice.

Live and Unsigned founder Chris Grayston says viewers can expect the unexpected; “Live and Unsigned shows really can range from the sublime to the ridiculous, and that’s just on stage! Backstage can be just as entertaining with the Live and Unsigned staff attempting to coordinate hundreds of wannabe bands and soloists.”

Watch the promo here

This year the winners of Live and Unsigned will take home £10,000 in cash to spend on developing the act as they wish. They’ll also get a further £10,000 spent on publicity and will take on a UK tour of up to 100 shows. Live and Unsigned is also offering festival slots in Canada, Italy, Latvia and Ireland, as well as gigs at UK festivals like Beach Break Live and Osfest.

For full details of audition dates and venues visit http://www.liveandunsigned.uk.com/singing-auditions – and book your place today!

MusicRadar, Future Publishing’s leading website for musicians, is on board as the media partner for Live and Unsigned for the second year running. Also partnering with Live and Unsigned are Blackstar Amplification, Natal Drums, Future Copyright, TC Electronic and TC Helicon who are providing some great competition prizes.

For more information about Live and Unsigned: www.liveandunsigned.uk.com

Press enquires to Ben Price 01142 321993 or email press@liveandunsigned.uk.com

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GCSE English and maths – more important than ever!

November 28th, 2011 by Sara

It’s not so much about how many GCSEs you obtain but what GCSEs you obtain. This may seem to be a surprising statement to make but recent research has found that there is a strong link between cities that have a high youth unemployment rate with the lack of GCSE English and Maths. Between 2007 and 2010 nearly 50% of pupils living in cities left education without GCSE grades A* to C in these subjects.

In Hastings and Grimsby where youth unemployment stood at 8.4% and 8.8% respectively between 2007 and 2010, the percentage reaching the official government benchmark of five A* -C GCSEs, including English and maths was 35% and 45%.

However, in Cambridge, where youth unemployment stood at 1.3% for the same period, young people obtaining five good GCSEs including maths and English reached 54%.

The above findings appear to reflect that over the last few years, schools have been encouraging pupils to study for qualifications that are seen as easier to achieve to boost their position in league tables. Pupils living in cities that have less buoyant economies are not being equipped with the skills required in the changing labour market. The consequences could leave young people with less employment opportunities in cities where skills in English and maths are in high demand.

The government is taking steps to rebalance these issues to ensure schools are equipping young people with the basic numeracy and literacy skills they will need to get a job.

The Office for National Statistics in October showed the UK jobless total for 16 -to 25 year-olds, hit a record high of 991,000 between June and August 2011.

If you want to boost your grades in English and Maths, consider one to one tuition, we have tutors that can help with a variety of learning styles.

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First Tutors feedback – from students and tutors.

November 17th, 2011 by Sara

We are delighted to publish feedback both from our students/parents and our tutors, and this time it comes with a snap shot of our system to prove we don’t invent our testimonials! (surnames and e-mails removed for privacy). The First Tutors team would like to thank all our users for taking the time to provide feedback. We strive to make our website as user-friendly as possible so please let us know if you think we could do even better!

From our parents and students:

Elaine from Nottingham “Very easy to use the site. Extremely easy to email potential tutors initially so you can get a feel for them. Easy to unlock details. All tutors seem really positive and professional. I am really impressed with this site as previously I had no idea how to go about getting a tutor. My daughter is now receiving fabulous tutoring and support. Many thanks.”

Jenny from London “I found the fact that you communicate with tutees incredibly helpful. It is good to know that even after one pays your fee you still want to know how the service is provided. Excellent!”

Anthony Leicestershire  “Great site, helped put us in touch with a couple of great tutors for the kids, one academic and one musically based.”

Maggie from Bedford “It must have been my lucky day when I looked up private tutors on the web, and got you! The whole process was easy, choosing a tutor simple, and my tutor was a great help. Thank you for a very well run service and at reasonable cost.”

Fiona from Surrey “It appears that we have been able to find exactly the help we needed through your web-site. Having access to a number of different tutors across Surrey and being able to start a dialogue with them about our requirements in terms of both teaching and also the location and timing was very effective.”

From our tutors:

Joanne  “I love everything about your site and the way it’s run. The feedback system is great- it’s the sort of thing I take comfort from a site such as Amazon, when I want reassurance of the service, or thing I want to buy is rated well (eg. the tutor)! Keep it up!”

Sobia “I have just begun tutoring. This website makes the experience of finding new tutees easy as well as projecting a very professional image. Thank you for helping me get started.”

Muhammad “Very good website for the tutees as well as the tutors!”

Michael has some amazing feedback on his profile from recent students! “A very professional approach to online tutoring arrangements. I have had a steady stream of work since joining and don’t need to be on any other site.”

Regarding one comment about fees being too high, please remember you can use the advanced search function to filter tutors by their hourly rates.

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First Tutors new terms and conditions.

November 14th, 2011 by Sara

We’ve changed our terms and conditions to reflect changes in

legislation.

As this is a major update you may wish to read the new terms

here

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