Guides & Insights

Practical guides on examinations, scholarships, admissions, study abroad and teaching - written to be useful the day you need them.

Choosing a home tutor: the questions that actually predict progress Teaching & EdTech Choosing a home tutor: the questions that actually predict progress Qualifications tell you what a tutor knows. These questions tell you whether your child will learn anything from them. 4 min read Cut-off points explained: why a good aggregate still misses a programme Exams & Results Cut-off points explained: why a good aggregate still misses a programme A cut-off point is not a pass mark set in advance. It is the aggregate of the last candidate admitted — which is why it moves every year and why nobody can tell you it in advance. 4 min read The study-abroad timeline, worked backwards from the start of term Study Abroad The study-abroad timeline, worked backwards from the start of term Applicants plan forwards from today and run out of time. Planning backwards from the intake date shows immediately whether a cycle is realistic. 4 min read How to spot a scholarship scam before it costs you money Scholarships How to spot a scholarship scam before it costs you money Genuine scholarships do not charge an application fee, do not arrive by WhatsApp, and do not need your bank details to "release" funds. Here is the full checklist. 4 min read Marking faster without marking worse Teaching & EdTech Marking faster without marking worse Most marking time goes into comments students never read. Redirecting that effort is how teachers recover hours a week without lowering the standard of feedback. 4 min read Reading a scholarship advert properly before you spend three weeks on it Scholarships Reading a scholarship advert properly before you spend three weeks on it Most wasted scholarship applications were disqualified on the first page of the advert. Five checks, done in ten minutes, tell you whether to continue. 5 min read A lesson plan that survives contact with a real class Teaching & EdTech A lesson plan that survives contact with a real class Most plans fail in the first ten minutes, for reasons that have nothing to do with the content. Here is what to build in so that yours does not. 5 min read Finding an internship that is not unpaid photocopying Careers Finding an internship that is not unpaid photocopying The difference between a useful internship and a wasted vacation is almost always settled before it starts, in questions most students are too polite to ask. 4 min read How the WASSCE aggregate is calculated, step by step Exams & Results How the WASSCE aggregate is calculated, step by step The aggregate is a sum of grade points from six subjects — the core, plus your three best electives. The rule about which electives count is where most errors happen. 4 min read Writing a personal statement that does not read like everyone else's Scholarships Writing a personal statement that does not read like everyone else's Selection panels read hundreds of statements that open the same way and claim the same qualities. What separates the memorable ones is specificity, not ambition. 5 min read National Service: what your posting decides, and what it does not Careers National Service: what your posting decides, and what it does not A posting sets where you spend a year, not what the year is worth. The difference between a service year that opens doors and one that disappears is mostly what you do inside it. 5 min read References: who to ask, how to ask, and when Scholarships References: who to ask, how to ask, and when A reference is the one part of your application written by someone else. Which makes how you ask, and how much notice you give, part of the application itself. 4 min read