The Russell Group, which represents 20 of the UK’s top universities including Oxford and Cambridge, recently sparked controversy with it’s new guide, Informed Choices, to help students choose A levels in preparation for university. Some, including the British Journal of Photography (BJP), felt that the guide has attacked so-called ‘soft subjects’ and accused the Russell Group of short-sightedness.

The guide warns students considering taking more than one ‘soft’ subject – usually courses that are vocational or practical based such as art, music or business studies- that “some caution may be needed” and encourages students to take two or more A level qualifications in ‘hard’ or ‘facilitating’ subjects such as English, maths and the sciences in order to have “a much wider range of options open to you at university”. They also state that general or critical studies should only be taken as an additional subject and not be one that students rely on for entry requirements.

But in an article the BJP editors, and the photography lecturers they spoke to, argued that it was absurd to consider some subjects as ‘soft’ and that these subjects could teach students independent thinking and creativity. However, although it may be aggravating to those involved in the ‘soft’ subjects it should be considered that this is not a new categorisation created by the Russell Group; the grouping of subjects as ‘soft’ and ‘hard’, whether correct or not, has been a persistent problem.

The BJP also pointed out the need for encouraging students to take up arts and humanities subjects, especially after government cuts meant a withdrawal of funding for these courses in the university sector. At a time when unemployment is high and university fees are set to increase, there are already fears that students will not take creative/humanities subjects, instead opting for subjects they think can lead to a specific job. There may be a worry that the Russell Group’s guide may discourage students further from taking a broad range of subjects, instead promoting the traditional ‘hard’ ones.

The guide could be of great use to students considering their post-16 study choices, though some of it’s recommendations may not sit comfortably with some. For example, the guide states: “By choosing facilitating subjects at advanced level, you will have a much wider range of options open to you at university. An advanced level qualification in any facilitating subject will keep open to you a number of degree courses” and also states that choosing non-facilitating subjects doesn’t increase your options at university.

Whilst this may be true in some circumstance, evidence shows that a majority of courses do not require specific subjects and will consider most subjects, whether ’soft’ or ‘hard’. Recent research titled ‘A level subjects: What universities want’ by The Guardian showed that many universities do not require or discount specific subjects, with the exception of general studies which some of the universities involved said could not be part of the entry requirements. Most outlined that for some courses specific A levels may be needed but this is not ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ based; i.e. whilst engineering may require a ‘hard’ subject such as maths, other subjects such as art will require a ‘soft’ qualification such as A level art.

For example, in the research Canterbury Christ Church University said: “We do not differentiate between A-level subjects and accept general studies. However, for some programmes a specific A-level or equivalent is required, eg a music A-level for the music degree, art for our fine art degree programme and most of our science programmes require at least one science A-level.”

City University London also said: “General studies is the only A-level generally excluded. Having it would not damage their chances of winning a place, as long as there was sufficient preparation elsewhere on the form.”

In any case, students should make sure they are aware of the requirements for the courses and universities they are interested in. If you are unsure of what you would like to study at university, you should try to keep your options as wide as possible and study subjects that may be required for subjects you think you might want to study.

To see the Russell Group Informed Choices guide, click here. To see the The Guardian’s ‘A levels: What universities want’ click here.

What do you think about the categorising of subjects as ‘soft’ and ‘hard’? Have you taken an A level subject that you don’t enjoy in order to have better qualifications? Let us know your thoughts.

The proposals outline stricter guidelines for non-EEA (European Economic Area) student visas in order to limit the abuse of the system by immigrants who are using the study route for economic reasons. Home Secretary Theresa May says in the proposals that they want “a student visa system that encourages the entry of genuine students” but that she was concerned that “the UK is attracting students who aren’t always the brightest or the best”. She said that it must be made clear that the student route is a temporary one, and that the government wants to ensure it is not being abused by those who just wish to settle and live in the UK.

This will be done in a number of ways:

Higher level of courses

The proposals suggest raising the level of courses that students can study. Currently, international students must undertake a course within the Tier 4 route; education institutes must be registered in the programme and offer courses leading to qualifications at the minimum level of NQF level 3 or SCQF level 6. Now, they propose to change this so that Tier 4 sponsors can only offer courses to international students at degree level (NQF level 6 and SCQF level 9). Only Highly Trusted sponsors will be allowed to offer courses below this level.

Tougher language requirements

The government also propose to implement tougher English language entry requirements, so that all students using the Tier 4 route must pass a secure English language test at the level B2, rather than the current level of B1, in all four testing areas (reading, writing, speaking and listening). This brings the UK requirements broadly in line with countries such as the USA and Australia.

Limiting entitlements to work

Students can currently work for up to twenty hours a week during term time and full-time during vacations. The government plan to change this so that students can only work on-campus during the week, but can work as much as they like off-campus on the weekends and on vacations. They also plan to change the ratio of study-work in vocational courses so that it is 66/33 rather than the current 50/50.

There will also be measures to limit the entitlements of dependants and measures to ensure students return to their home countries after study; a recent Home Office report shows that more than a fifth of those granted student visas in 2004 were still in the country in 2004. This prompts fears that immigrants are using the study route in order to come to live and work permanently in the UK.

However, the measures will help those deemed as ‘low risk’ to the UK, as the proposals suggest a simpler procedure for checking the financial evidence of some students so that they can ‘self-declare’ their ability to fund their study.

Dominic Scott, chief executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), has said that the changes would reduce the number of students coming to the UK, whilst tackling abuse of the system.

These new proposals may not be good news for the thousands of non-EEA students who come to study in the UK each year, nor the universities who need their tuition fees. However, perhaps it will help those students who are genuinely wanting to study in the UK and will encourage the “best and brightest” to apply.

You can view the full proposals here.

Are you an international student looking to study in the UK? Do you think these new measures will discourage you? Let us know what you think about this story.

The competition supports and promotes the teaching of Mandarin Chinese as a modern foreign language in UK schools. Now in its eighth year, the competition has attracted a record number of learners eager to prove their Chinese skills. Regional heats are taking place in London and Newcastle, with only the best being invited to attend the final at the British Museum on 10 March – where they could win a visit to China.

The talented youngsters will compete in either the Individual Language Ability or Group Performance section. In the Individual section, contestants give a pre-prepared short presentation in Mandarin, translate sentences from English in to Mandarin and are tested on their knowledge of China and Chinese culture. In the Group Performance section, groups of between four and six students perform a piece of drama, dance or poetry in Chinese. The judging panel will be made up of native and non-native speakers of Mandarin, from a variety of backgrounds.

The competition is part of the British Council and HSBC’s work to prepare children in the UK for life in a global society and work in a global economy. When these students enter employment, they will need to be able to compete in a world where links with China are essential – with projections that the country will become the world’s biggest economy in the next 20 years.

Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council and fluent Chinese speaker, said: “Future success for the UK will in large part depend on our ability to communicate internationally – and China will be an important partner for us. Developing a real understanding of China will be key to the relationship, and learning Mandarin will help to ensure our young people have the intercultural skills to communicate effectively. This competition is a chance to reward students who are making the effort to master the Chinese language.”

The competition has been organised by the British Council – which builds relationships for the UK through English, Education and Culture, and already links around 43,000 pupils and teachers in the UK and China. It is supported by the HSBC Global Education Programme – which focuses on international understanding, disadvantaged children, financial literacy, and environmental education.

For more information, please contact Mark Moulding in the British Council Press Office on 020 7389 4889 or mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org

Clegg stated in a letter to the NUS that he was not trying to stop people from protesting, but said ” I do believe the nature of that debate and the language we use, is important if it is not to have consequences that none of us want”. But NUS President Aaron Porter fired back by telling him: “The anger felt at this betrayal is real, justified and desperately disappointing to those who placed in you their hope for a different politics” and that it was “astonishing” to suggest the NUS was contributing to “misinformation”.

Clegg defended the Liberal Democrats u-turn on pledge to freeze tuition fees, saying  “I believe we have played an important role in proposing a new system in line with our fair, progressive values” in a letter he wrote to NUS president Aaron Porter. He also said that people should consider the impact of the new policies on students from poorer families wanting to go to university, and insisted it was “crucial” to understand that there would be no upfront fees and repayments would begin once graduates started earning over £21,000, as opposed to the current £15,000.

However, Clegg’s comments will offer little comfort to students who might be facing a huge increase in tuition fees; the vote is due next month which could allow English universities to almost double the current £3,290 fees to £6000, and even £9000 in some cases. Many students feel that debts from university education are high enough and that increasing fees will put people off from going to university. They believe it will also mean price will become a factor in choosing where to study. Despite Clegg’s protests, research by published on Tuesday by the think tanks million+ and London Economics suggests 60% of students will be worse off under the plans.

It’s a curriculum-based test that measures a student’s knowledge and ability in English, Mathematics, Reading, Science Reasoning and Writing. It is accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the US.

Patrick Bourgeacq, the Director of International Service Relationships at ACT Inc. is running a number of free seminars to introduce students, parents and educators to the ACT. He’ll be answering questions such as:

• What is the ACT?
• When and where can I take the ACT?
• How is the ACT different to the SAT?
• How do universities use the ACT?
• How can I best prepare for the ACT?
• How does the ACT fit into the college admissions process?

You’ll also discover the ins and outs of the US college admissions process, presented by a Kaplan Advisor.

The sessions will take place on the 24th of September 2010 from 4.00pm to 5.30pm and on the 26th of September 2010 from 2.00pm to 3.30pm at Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions, 3-5 Charing Cross Road, London, UK.

Register today at www.kaptest.co.uk or by calling the Kaplan Centre on +44 (0)207 930 3130. Due to limited seating, registration is required.

You can read an FAQ on the ACT, provided by Patrick Bourgeacq, in the latest i-studentadvisor USA Region III magazine. Click here to view the article.

Conditional admission is the policy of admitting international students who are academically capable but don’t quite meet the necessary English language specifications, on the condition that they study English before and during their studies in order to meet the requirements. This is a move away from the traditional system of only admitting students who were sufficiently capable in English from the outset.

In most cases, students are given a full academic year to honour their language commitments, but some require as little as one semester to meet the necessary standard. Some universities such as Iowa State University have been offering conditional admission places for as long as three decades. Historically, the institutions that have offered conditional admission have done so because they have their own intensive English language programmes. More recent converts to conditional admission have been able to do so because of partnerships with independent providers such as ELS Educational Services Inc.

ELS Offer intensive twelve-week programmes at fifty-five sites nationwide where students learn grammar and vocabulary as well as practising reading, writing and speaking.  Jeffrey L. Nonemaker, director of international-student recruitment and admissions at the University of La Verne, California has found that going with a private provider allowed the institution to expand its conditional admissions programme more rapidly.

Although conditional admission works well for international students who haven’t the language capacity to slot straight into mainstream study, it can be quite expensive with tuition fees alone for a nine-month programme costing as much as $11,000. It is also fair to say that conditional admission is more suitable for undergraduate study than post-graduate as these programmes take on fewer students and can afford to be more selective.

However, with very high rates of students offered conditional admission accepting places it seems that English is becoming less of a barrier to those students wanting to study in the US.

Let us know what you think about conditional admission below.

With foreign students currently making up just 10% of Taiwan’s student body, President Ma Ying-Jeou is making efforts to attract more foreign students.

Yesterday, at I-Shou University in Kaohsiung County, Ma said: “It is urgently important to make local universities and colleges internationally efficient so as to recruit more students from other countries to help Taiwan sharpen its competitive edge.”

“Judging from Taiwan’s past history, it is a fact that opening to the rest of the world will make our country strong, and we hope to lure more foreign students.”

Ma’s goal is to attract 30,000 overseas students to the Republic of China over the next four years by making all university courses available in English. Currently 39 Taiwanese institutions offer English-language courses.

As well as maintaining scholarship programmes for foreign students the government has also announced a freeze on tuition and other fees for the coming year, as well as a flexible salary scheme to encourage the best researchers and professors to remain in Taiwan as educators rather than move abroad.

Ma has stated that education is a critical factor to Taiwan’s survival, with a well-educated workforce compensating for the Republic’s lack of natural resources.

New for 2010, the Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing is open to aspiring ELT authors who have not yet been published. The winner receives £1,000 and the opportunity to publish their work.

The UK Award for Innovation and The Cambridge ESOL International Award for Innovation International categories continue to thrive with an increase in submissions from around the world. Entries from the UK doubled from 2009.

Michael Carrier, Head English Language Innovation for English and Exams at the British Council says: “The ELTons are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate innovative ELT resources from around the world, and the new Innovative Writing Award category will also provide the opportunity for aspiring creative writers to make their first break into the English language publishing industry. It is an exciting time for anyone at the forefront of developing and teaching English around the world”.

There are twelve entries short listed for an award in the UK category, seven in the International category and six in the Innovative Writing category. There will be three winners in the UK category, one winner in the International category and one winner in the Innovative Writing category. The winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony in London on 3 March 2010. Each of the winners receives £1,000 cash prize along with the much sought after ELTon statuette.

ELTons 2010 UK Nominated Entries

•  Nik’s Daily English Activities – Blog – Nik Peachey

•  Vocabulary Matrix – Book Heinle ELT, Cengage Learning

•  Teaching Unplugged – Book Delta Publishing

•  www.teachertrainingvideos.com – Russell Stannard

•  Fast Track to Reading: Accelerated Learning for EFL & ESOL Students – Book
Garnett Education

•  Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5th edition Pearson Education

•  Teaching with Bear: Using puppets in the language classroom with young learners – Book, DVD, Bear Puppet Oxford University Press

•  IH Online Teacher Training Institute International House World Organisation Ltd (IHWO)

•  The Bell Online Delta – online training – The Bell Educational Trust

•  Primary i-Box – classroom presentation software Cambridge University Press

ELTons 2010 International Nominated Entries

•  Small Stars – comprehensive ELT course English First – Signum International S.A.R.L Zug Branch (Switzerland)

•  Welcome to English 3! – primary learner handbook Tic Tac Toe – Didactic Material (Argentina)

• English for Very Young Learners – online course
Net Languages (Spain)

•  Ways with Words – website
Lexitronics (Cyprus)

• Hoola Hoop – course
Porto Editora (Portugal)

•  Global Issues in the ELT Classroom – book
Spolecnost pro Fair Trade (Czech Republic)

•  Activities for Interactive Whiteboards – book and CD-Rom
Helbling Languages GmbH (Austria)

ELTons 2010 The Macmillan Education Award for Innovative Writing

•  Ekaterina Belozerova (Russia)

•  Richard Brittain (UK)

•  Stuart Wiffin and Helen Gibbons (UK)

•  Chris Lima (Brazil) and Maria Manuela De La Fuente (Peru)

•  Carla Cruz D’Elia (Brazil)

•  Helen Broady (UK)

Led by noted scientist and Wolfram|Alpha creator Stephen Wolfram, this marathon webcast will bring together students, parents, and educators from across the country to tackle tough homework assignments and explore the richness that Wolfram|Alpha brings to K–12, college, and beyond.

Launched this May, Wolfram|Alpha is a free website powered by a computational knowledge engine that generates answers to questions in real time by doing computations on its own vast internal knowledge base. Named by Time magazine as one of the 50 Best Websites of 2009, Wolfram|Alpha is widely recognised as an innovative and invaluable resource for education.

The goal of Homework Day is to broadly share how students and educators are using Wolfram|Alpha in K–12 and college education and to demonstrate the advantages of using this free site not only to solve specific problems, but to inspire students to probe subject matter further and promote deeper understanding of fundamental concepts.

Wolfram|Alpha has established a permanent Homework Day website where people can contribute ideas, lesson plans, screencasts, and videos before, during, and after the event. The site will be used to broadcast the live October 21 webcast and will feature live chat, where participants are encouraged to submit questions that Stephen Wolfram and his team will analyse and solve throughout the webcast.

The Homework Day webcast will also feature:

* Quick, step-by-step lessons that will give everyone the ability to use Wolfram|Alpha to tackle problems in a variety of subjects, including math, science, engineering, health and nutrition, English, history, economics, and many more
* Content and segments tailored to specific age groups
* Ideas and examples for how to make subjects like math and science more engaging and relevant to students
* Live interviews and demonstrations by educators who are already using Wolfram|Alpha in their classrooms
* Conversations with guest participants who will further discuss the role of technology in education

For more information, please visit the new Homework Day website.

The long awaited decision, reported by the New York Times, sees an abandonment of the English policy implemented in 2003 by former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. The intended outcome of the policy was to improve the employability and language skills of Malay graduates. The Malaysian Government state that the policy has failed to improve English in the vast majority of students and that grades have fallen since the policy was introduced.

Some critics have argued that the decision by the Government is mainly political. Professor James Chin, Head of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University in Malaysia, said of the Government “they decided to buckle under the pressure from the Malay nationalists who argue that by teaching students in English you are neglecting the position of the national language.”

Other critics are concerned at how the decline in English tuition may affect students after graduation. Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director of the Malaysian Employers Federation said, “this is a setback for the efforts to enhance the command of English for the students.”

Malaysian former student Gabrielle also commented “I am against the decision. For the country to move forward more students should be taught in English. It is essential for them to get ahead in the job market, particularly in today’s climate.”

What do you think? i-studentadvisor would love to hear your comments on this issue.