The Independent recently revealed that more than 100 states schools are paying a private company to tutor their brightest pupils on how to get a place at Oxford or Cambridge. This news has come at the same time as a report from the Sutton Trust that shows that most people who get places at Oxford and Cambridge are from selective state grammar or independent schools.
Getting a place at Oxford or Cambridge has never been easy – they turn away around 8,000 applications each year and expect pupils to gain A* grades at A Level.
Now it seems it isn’t just parents who want to use tutors to help their child gain a place at Oxbridge but also the schools. In the last few years it has become more acceptable for both parents and teachers to seek the help of an outside tutoring company or private tutor to help them get a child into Oxford or Cambridge.
Specialised tutors can help in a number of ways:
- Prepare and help your child for exams throughout the year so they get the grades they need to get into Oxbridge – because getting a place is so competitive these universities won’t accept lower grades so you need to be on top academically. It’s worth thinking about university before GCSEs – when students apply to university they will only have their GCSEs (and possibly AS and predicted A Level results). Their grades at GCSE will need to be as good as possible (usually A*).
- Coach on interview techniques – Oxbridge interviews can often be used to test how you cope under pressure, so the interviewer may throw unexpected questions your way.
- Help with test preparation – you might be asked to take a written test or engage in a healthy debate, you need to know how to handle this situation.
Oxford and Cambridge do offer a number of opportunities for students from lower income households, if you contact the universities they can tell you about these schemes.
There are two main things a private tutor can help you with – building your confidence and helping you develop as an independent thinker – these are two key skills that Oxbridge are looking for. We can’t wave a magic wand and guarantee a place at Oxbridge and any private tutoring company or personal tutor claiming to do so should be avoided.
If you’d like to know more about Oxbridge tutoring then call 121 Home Tutors on 01625 531 630. We work with students across Manchester and Cheshire.
Tags: Choosing a tutor, Getting into University, tutor, university study, what to look for etc