Seminars and Interview Sessions

An Admissions Talk: Studying GCE A-levels in MPW Sixth Form College

Seminar Content

The Admissions Talk will be delivered by Sarah Keates, Regional Director – East Asia, from Mander Portman Woodward (MPW) Sixth Form College. She will provide an overview of the GCE A-levels curriculum in MPW Sixth Form College, covering areas such as subject choices, the effects of the recent A-levels reform, entry requirements, as well as the highly-praised Personal Tutor system and the specialist Oxbridge and medical school applications support:

• The GCE A-levels Curriculum in MPW Sixth Form College ^{(1-Year & 2-Year Programmes)} and Recommendations on Subject A-levels Choices: If students are aiming to study Medicine, Physiotherapy, Law, Engineering or Sociology in university, what are the best A-levels subject combinations? For students who are going to sit public exams, when is it a good idea to go for a 1-Year A-levels programme to have another go in public exams? Under what circumstances would a University Foundation be a better choice?
• The Personal Tutor System: Every student in MPW is assigned a Personal Tutor (called a Director of Studies in MPW London), who will supervise students’ academic progress, university applications and general welfare. How does the system work in practice? How often will the personal tutor meet with students?
• Specialist Oxbridge & Medical School Application Support – 42 Graduates Gained Entry to Oxbridge, Medicine and Dentistry in the Past Two Years (2017-2018)! MPW offers a range of academic and appliaction support for high-achieving students who would like to apply to Oxbridge and medical schools. What kind of support and training will students receive?
• Student Cases Sharing

70% UK Students – Why Do Students Choose to Transfer to MPW for their GCSE and A-levels?

As a sixth form college, the majority of students in MPW are A-levels students who transferred to MPW from other secondary schools, with many of them coming from top schools in their regions! The majority of them would start at MPW after completing their GCSE, while some might transfer during their A-levels years due to different circumstances. And there are also a good number of students who join the 1-Year A-levels programmes to have another go in public exams, as it’s believed that the first attempt didn’t reflect their ability.

Below we have summarized from the student testimonials on the MPW website, in which we have tried to highlight why they made the decision to transfer to MPW, and what they see as the best part of their experience in MPW:

1-Year A-levels

If you have the ambitions and you believe that you’re capable of getting into one of the world’s finest universities (such as Oxbridge, LSE and alike) or one of the highly competitive subjects (such as Medicine, Actuarial Science, Law, etc), then perhaps a 1-Year A-levels programme will be a good option to look at – a second attempt in the widely recognized GCE A-levels qualifications!

From when you express your interest in the one-year A-levels, the admissions team from MPW will already start talking to you, to understand your aspiration and come up with a good study plan for you. These can range from advices on subject choices, planning for work and volunteering experience, to preparation for admission interviews and specialist written tests (such as UKCAT and BMAT for Medicine, LNAT for Law, etc). All of these start early because studying in one year what normal students have two years to cover isn’t an easy task! When students arrive, they will study under the guidance of their teachers and personal tutors – an excellent level of support that crafted a highly positive study experience!

School Profile: Mander Portman Woodward (MPW) Sixth Form College

Mander Portman Woodward (MPW) Sixth Form College in an independent sixth form college founded in 1973, with campuses in London, Birmingham and Cambridge. MPW mainly teaches GCSE and GCE A-levels. There are also the options of 1-Year A-levels and Pre-A-levels, tailored to meet the needs of international students! Currently about 70% of students in MPW Sixth Form College are local British students. There is a tight control on class size, which won’t go beyond nine students per class. Over 40 subjects are offered in its GCE A-levels curriculum. Public exam results are consistently outstanding – A*-B rates in GCE A-levels were between 62% to 75% in the past five years (2014-2018).

In addition to being an education provider, Mander Portman Woodward (MPW) is also a book publisher with a collection of subject guides and UCAS guides which provide students with useful information on higher education.

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