Focus on University


Teachers, students and universities share a common vision – a smooth transition for students from school to undergraduate study, explains Ann Puntis, Chief Executive, University of Cambridge International Examinations


Bridging the gap T


his may sound simple – but it is no easy feat. The problem of students arriving ill prepared in their first year of university is real and a subject of ongoing debate.


At an education select committee earlier this year, university professors from Oxford, York and Cardiff discussed the issue of schools being too exam focused. This, they agreed, makes students less prepared for university because they are being prepared on how to answer the question but not necessarily how to understand it. According to one professor this has even resulted in his university having to change the way subjects are taught in the first year - to ‘accommodate the quality of students coming through.’


This feedback suggests two important changes are required to create a smoother transition for students from schools to university. Firstly more clarity is needed for schools about what is expected of students in the first year of university. Secondly more guidance is needed to help prepare students effectively. It is a step in the right direction that government policy is now looking to establish a stronger relationship between higher education and final school examinations.


We have always worked closely with universities in the development of our programmes and qualifications so we understand the types of skills and knowledge they expect students to have. When developing a new pre- university qualification in 2005 we carried out extensive research with universities to ensure that the curriculum would develop key skills required for undergraduate study.


Cambridge Pre-U was developed by a group of April 2012


representatives from schools and universities who helped set out the qualification’s key educational values such as developing a curriculum that would - provide the depth and rigour required for a university degree course,


encourage deep understanding in learning and the acquisition of problem solving, critical thinking and effective communication skills. Some may argue that these skills can be developed by students in their final years of school, regardless of the qualification they study. However, given the feedback from universities about their expectations of undergraduates, it is clear that a curriculum designed specifically to build these skills is of enormous value. We know that this approach is also valued by students and teachers.


Students that have completed Cambridge Pre- U tell us how well it has prepared them for university and informed their decisions about the future. For example Daisy Gibbs who studied Cambridge Pre-U Music at Winchester is now studying music at Oxford – she said studying topics she loves in depth such as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring influenced her decision to study and pursue a career in music. Anthony Cane who studied Cambridge Pre-U Chemistry at Charterhouse is now studying chemistry at Durham – he said he “came to university with a smoother transition than some chemists who were thrown by the difficulty of some problems.” Likewise teachers tell us how Cambridge Pre-U gives them greater freedom to teach exciting, coherent syllabuses how they want, which helps


them prepare students for undergraduate study. Rodney Harris, Director of Studies at Westminster School said, “Cambridge Pre-U opens up more hours in the classroom. We don’t have to focus on exams at the end of the first year and therefore students can follow their own academic interests. The can challenge, they can question – they can embark on the sort of work that will carry them through at university level.” It is the linear structure of this qualification which ‘opens up more hours in the classroom’ because teachers and students do not have the interruptions of modular assessments. This allows more time for the development of in-depth understanding of the courses being studied and skills such as problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills valued by universities. It means teachers have more teaching time to nurture students’ passion for their subjects, enjoyment of the process of learning and willingness to take intellectual risks. This is crucial because this learning


environment helps the student to ‘bridge the gap’ between school and university and can help to affirm their choice of undergraduate course. It also enables students to develop attributes that universities want - the very attributes that will carry them through school, university and life beyond.


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