The Qualities Needed for A-Level Success

When I first taught on a pre-sessional (held over the summer as preparation for university) course, my first reaction was, ‘Wow, why didn’t we do these courses before starting Uni, it would have made things so much clearer!

EAP or English for Academic Purposes has become the academic basis of most British Universities and is no longer restricted to foreign students coming from abroad. Foundation courses and many first-year courses above all in English, the Social Sciences and increasingly STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics) are all increasing including EAP courses as the basis for academic study.

But what is EAP and how does it affect those students still studying to enter British Universities? Here is an imaginary dialogue between a mentor (M) and a hopeful academic (A) wanting to ‘level up’ and succeed at A-level and on to university:

M: So, you want to enter university, do you know what qualities you will need to get there?

A: Sure, I need three A*s and I’m cramming already to get them!

M: Well, those are the qualifications you need but how are you going to go about ensuring you will get them, what qualities do you need to do well, both now and once you get to university?

A: I’m not sure what you mean, surely if I put down the facts that are in the syllabus, then I’ll do well.

M: It’s not quite as straightforward as that, often it’s not what you know but how you write it, how you present it. Most universities recognise that there are certain qualities needed to succeed, and these qualities are taught in a new subject called English for Academic Purposes.

A: But surely, I don’t need that if my first language is English!

M: Well no, it’s all about how essays, dissertations, presentations, exam questions and so on, that is all the ‘genre’ used at universities are structured, presented and argued. Indeed, I can remember that many so-called second language students prepared so much better than English-speaking students precisely because they took these qualities to heart.

A: So, they sound like academic skills preparation?

M: Well, that is part of it, but it is also about those qualities, they now call Graduate attributes, and guess what, these are the very same qualities which are needed and looked for in A-level preparation!

A: So, you’re saying I need these qualities even before getting to university?

M: Well, just look at the marking criteria, for example for English Language, ‘Demonstrate critical understanding of concepts and issues..’ or again for History, ‘argument is logical and is communicated with clarity, or again for Geography (transferability) ‘The question requires links to be made between distinct elements of Global systems and global governance…… You can find these qualities turning up in nearly all A-level marking criteria, at least if you’re looking for A*s, although some do need some interpreting.

A: OK then, what are these qualities or attributes and how do I show them in my work?

M: Well, they can vary slightly from university to university depending on emphasis and some are more obviously useful in different subjects, but they are all needed to succeed and are relevant for virtually all subjects. However, if we want to consider the most important then here is a start; Criticality, Reflection, Transferability, Community and Autonomy… there are others but let’s start with the most obvious.

A: Well, I can understand criticality but some of these? I mean Community? - surely, I am there on my own in the exam hall, and Autonomy? Surely that’s what I am doing when I study alone!

M: Let’s look at each of these and see how you can express them and show the examiner that you are simply not regurgitating facts and figures but understand them and showing you deserve that A*.

Key A-Level & Graduate Level Skills

Criticality: 

This is the big one and is pretty much explicitly mentioned in nearly all A-level marking criteria. You are showing not only ‘What’ you know but ‘Why’ it’s important. Great to know that the Battle of Waterloo was fought in 1815 between Wellington and Napoleon, but why is this important? How did it affect the Industrial Revolution? What were the social effects? 

It’s great to know the specific heat capacity of water, but what does this mean, how does this relate to its latent heat capacity and so on? If you have the answer to life, the Universe and Everything, (is it 42?), it means nothing unless you understand what that means for the cosmos all living things and your grades.

Reflection: 

If you are reflecting on something, you compare it to what went before and after/one author to another, one physical state to another. This needs to be explicit not just something which ‘may seem obvious’ – what is obvious to you is not necessarily obvious to a marker. 

Looking back at questions and reflecting on them is one of the key means to improve from mediocre to excellent.

Transferability: 

Use the skills you have learnt from one discipline to another. The layout of an essay and expression of ideas, of cohesion and analysis are general properties. If you know how to write an introduction in English, use similar processes to write an introduction in History. In Geography, if you know how to work out an unknown in algebra, use the same processes in philosophy.

The content will be different but very often the same structure and thought processes will apply across many subjects.

Autonomy: 

This is not just about studying by yourself, it is about creating your own ‘voice’, your own interpretation of the information you are given. Your choice of what to study and what not to study is an expression of this – just make sure that you really use that expression to show you know the information you choose and that this is relevant to the questions you are asking. 

Don’t just stick to ‘knowledge’ because you have it – be relevant and objective but don’t simply state what everyone else is saying- that is the best way to get a very mediocre mark.

Community: 

You have got to show you know the passwords to the ‘community of scholars’ – use the sources you are given, use the vocabulary. If you are using ‘Mrs Macbeth’ for Lady Macbeth, this will be an instant red light for markers (I can remember someone who did!). 

It’s a bit like a posh party with groups of people chatting around in small groups sipping their champagne. If you shout, you’ll be excluded, if you use the wrong language, it will be clear you don’t belong in the A* group and if you say nothing, the others in the group (markers first) will turn their back on you.

A: That’s a lot to remember!

M: Don’t worry, good teachers will incorporate these qualities in their teaching instinctively, however, if you understand you need to be explicit about these points, it will make your work (and your marks) better.

A: But how do I actually show these qualities and still give the content I am asked for?

M: Well, that’s a story for another day!............