Display slide and / or draw attention to first page of handout, ask them to study table about British education system What are the important exams taken at Years 11 and 13? (Year 11: GCSEs; Year 13: A Levels. NB, these are important for university entrance) What is the pre-university stage called? Sixth-form college (UK equivalent of Mexican ‘preparatoria’ or US high school) What other interesting facts do you know about the British education system? How long are undergraduate degrees usually (3 years); Master's degrees (1-2 years), PhD (3 years)

Display slide and point out that ersonal statements (as opposed to interviews) are increasingly used by admissions officers in many parts of the world to select candidates for university or college courses. Ask Ss to talk to the person on their right what problems might someone have writing one? Give Ss 2 mins. Elicit 1 or 2 answers and show possible answers: You have a lot of information to tell the admissions officer but don’t know to organize it in writing. What goes in the introduction and conclusion? How many body paragraphs do I need to use? How can I use topic sentences to make ideas flow smoothly in paragraphs? You don’t have a stock of phrases that will persuade the admissions officer Now show the personal statement submitted by a student applying for a degree in law and French. Point out that certain parts of the text have been taken out. Ask S: can you identify what these might be? Give out strips of paper, have Ss match them to paragraphs. Answers: 1. E 2. A 3. D 4. B 5. C The missing sections were located the beginning of the text (introductory paragraph) and the beginning of each paragraph (topic sentences) Plenty of references to the types of behavioural competences needed to be a successful student of Law and French: e.g., participating in debates Powerful life experience: attending a murder trial Mention of development of social skills, such as teamworking, leadership Mention of communicative abilities, e.g., tutoring a GCSE maths student

1. Organisation Have Ss read the Managing the flow of information section individually. Exercise A: Ask them to study the whole personal statement text and answer following questions, individually first and then compare answers with a partner: 1. What paragraph predicts the topic sentences of each paragraph? (answer: introductory paragraph) 2. What paragraph provides a synopsis of the whole text? (answer: concluding paragraph) Exercise B: They then study the paragraph and answer the following questions alone first, then compare with a partner 1. What sentence predicts what the other sentences in the paragraph are about? (answer: topic sentence) 2. What sentence may provide a synopsis of the paragraph? (answer: concluding sentence) If time show the explanation slide: Often a sentence at the beginning of a paragraph predicts what a paragraph will be about. This sentence is the topic sentence. The last sentence in the paragraph may sum up what the paragraph is about. This is the concluding sentence. Similarly, the introductory paragraph of a whole text introduces what the text is about and predicts the topic sentences of each paragraph, while the concluding paragraph sums up the whole text. 2. Vocabulary Ask Ss not to look back at the text. Can they remember which adjectives collocate with these adverbs? • wholly ___________ • incredibly ______________ • highly _______________ Which adjectives collocate with these nouns? • _______ inclination • ______ reasoning • ______ exhilaration • ____-_____ solicitors Answers: Collocation (adverb + adjective) wholly enthralling incredibly  rewarding highly  enjoyable Collocation (adjective + noun) strong inclination complex reasoning sheer exhilaration high-ranking solicitors If time, get Ss to underline two or three less frequent phrases that they could use for their own personal statement. Look for ones describe gaining proficiency at something or showing commitment. Ss write them on HO.

1. Preparation of ideas Ask Ss to imagine they are applying to study a postgraduate course in the UK. Draw their attention to the planning sheet to organise their ideas. Give 4 mins to jot down some ideas ( just the first column) in note form and compare with the person on their left. Ss should ignore the paragraph structure for now (not column on the right). 1. Which subject would you like to study? 2. Why? What specific thing about it appeals to you? 3. What will studying this course involve? What will you be expected to do? 4. What skills will this require? What will you need to be good at in order to succeed? 5. How do you meet these requirements? Have you already go these skills explain? Monitor and feed in ideas as Ss are making notes 2. Writing Ss write their introduction (90-100 words) stating what subject they want to study and saying specifically what about it interests them.

1. Feedback on content Once max 15 mins is up, signal that Ss should use the checklist as they read a partner's introductory paragraph to their personal statement. Ensure they swap introductions with a partner, read them and are using the checklist to evaluate the following criteria: Included ✓ Missing ✗ States clearly what degree course he /she wants to study Gives persuasive reasons why the subject interests him or her Uses phrases to describe gaining proficiency at something or showing commitment 2. As they are peer evaluating, monitor and note down examples of good language or errors for DEC