Meet our latest Tutor - Luke!

Luke is currently in his third year of studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh and has opted to take a year out in order to study for a second degree in biochemistry. Before moving to Edinburgh, Luke lived in Wales where he volunteered as an assistant leader in a local cub/scout group. In the future he hopes not only to practice in medicine but also to take on a lecturing role at university. Outside of academia, Luke is a passionate runner and cyclist. 

Academic record:

GCSE 6A*, 3A’s: Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, German, History, English Language, English Literature, Business & Economics

A level 2A*, 2A: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics

Scope hosts 140 students for Medicine Practical Day

Applican Practical Day

Scope Sponsored Event

Scope are very proud to have sponsored a fantastic event on the 4th June 2017 with a worthwhile social enterprise, Applican. Scope's leading tutors, Jack and Erin, pioneered this event that saw 140 students across Edinburgh learn about the application process to Medicine before learning some clinical skills such as blood pressure, neurological exam and first aid. The day took place at the 300 year old Anatomy Lecture Theatre and at the Edinburgh Royal Medical Society. 

At Scope, we aim to deliver a holistic approach to tuition, meaning we help our students achieve their career ambitions that extend beyond external examinations. 

If you are interested in the Applican courses, or UKCAT tuition that is offered through Scope, please get in touch!

Medicine Practical Day

Scope's tutors, Erin and Jack, will be organising and running an exciting, unique event in Edinburgh on the 4th June 2017. This event is being held at the Royal Medical Society at the University of Edinburgh.

The day is suitable to anyone who is interested in a career in Medicine (S4, S5, S6) and is completely free to attend. We will be spending the morning learning practical skills such as measuring blood pressure, applying casts and basic first aid. In the afternoon the focus will be on how to apply to medicine: personal statements, UKCAT and interviews! Lots of interaction, refreshments and an attendance certificate for all students who attend - this promises to be a fun day!

This will be a first come, first served event. With limited spaces please do book on the free course as soon as possible!

UKCAT!

Scope Tutors Edinburgh is proud to collaborate with our sister company Applican to create a comprehensive and affordable UKCAT course that is running across the UK in August 2017. 

Scope Tutors will be providing the personal tuition for students who would like dedicated and intense preparation before the important test day and who cannot attend the Applican Course. UKCAT tuition will cost £60/hour in Edinburgh and £50/hour over video conferencing. 

Emily joins our team!

Emily is currently in her first year of studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh and is interested in global health and mental health. Before moving to Edinburgh from Newcastle, she supported younger students with their studies in sixth form and is excited about continuing to help others succeed academically whilst at University. Emily will be tutoring French, Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry and Maths with Scope. Outside of medicine, she is a member of a choir, several charity groups and is learning Swahili.

Medical Student Tutors: What School Grades do they get?

This week Scope welcomed 3 more tutors to our team, bringing our total number to 10. So we thought it would be interesting to see how many qualifications 10 medical student tutors could collectively muster up..

We are medical student tutors who clearly know how to get the top scores in exams!

If you would like tutoring help with one of our amazing tutors, we offer a free assessment session and are the best valued tutoring service in Edinburgh.

Expert Chemistry Tutor - Meet Kritika!

Another Tutor has joined our team this week - meet Kritika Kalia!

Kritika is a third year medical student at the University of Edinburgh, enjoying her first clinical year. She hopes to become a doctor in cardiology or transplant. Kritika originally moved from India to Northern Ireland, aged 5, and her family has now settled in London and Norfolk. Outside of medicine, Kritika is the president of the volunteering society Project Mongolia, which fundraises to support summer camps for disadvantaged children from labour backgrounds, living in the impoverished Ger district of Ulaanbaatar. She visited the country herself in summer 2015 to teach first aid to local factory workers. Her charismatic chemistry teacher at school led her to completely change career paths, from previously wanting to do law. She subsequently set up a mentoring scheme to help students bridge the gap in knowledge between GCSE and AS level chemistry.

Exciting update from Scope HQ - Erin joins the team!

Erin is in her second year of studying medicine and is interested in emergency medicine so far in her medical studies. Growing up in Scotland, Erin is familiar with the education system here and has excelled in her own academic studies - winning the Stellar Award twice from West Lothian Council for highest attaining student in the authority. She will be tutoring with Scope in Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English and Philosophy. Outside her university studies, Erin is a competitive swimmer and teaches swimming in her spare time.

New Tutors Join the Team in 2017!

Scope has had a hugely successful 2016 and we can't wait for what 2017 holds for us! January sees us welcome a new cohort of medical student tutors to our team.

Welcome Fraser! 

Fraser Thomson 

Fraser is in his third year of studying medicine and will be joining Scope as our expert Geography tutor. Originally from North Berwick, Fraser competes for the University 1st Football team and has a particular interest in Orthopaedic and Surgical Medicine. Enthused by education and teaching, Fraser is excited to be the latest member of the Scope Team!

Prelim Panic!

The 5 Stages of Prelim Grief

Prelims are only a few weeks away - so it is time to purchase those new highlighters, dust off the school textbook and print out the perfectly colour coded revision timetables. 

But before that happens every student must go through the 5 stages of Prelim Grief before revision commences..

1. DENIAL

"Prelims are ages away.. nah I'm going to wait until after Christmas to start that's what my pals are doing.. I work better under pressure anyway.. I don't want to burn out"

2. ANGER

"I don't even care about that one, I'm dropping it next year anyway... The teacher didn't teach me that stuff.. Prelims don't even count for anything so what is the point revising?"

3. BARGAINING

"Once I do this topic I can make some tea... If I leave this section out I can do it after Christmas.. It will only be Christmas holiday in 2016 once, I can't let this opportunity slip..."

4. DEPRESSION

"This is a time of festive joy, not studying sorrow..."

5. ACCEPTANCE

Revision is always harder to start than it is to actually do! At Scope Tutors Edinburgh we are all medical students who have been through our fair share of revision periods. We know all the secrets to revision success and create a personalised timetable for each of our students. 

If you would like help with your revision please email us for a free assessment below!

English field trip to the theatre!

King's Theatre Edinburgh

We are passionate about delivering a comprehensive and effective tuition service: however we also think it is important to appreciate the wider subject and have some fun along the way!

Scope's English students arranged a trip to the King's Theatre, Edinburgh to watch the drama adaption of Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities.' The drama explores the story of love and loss during the French revolution and presented our English students with the opportunity to analyse characterisation, context and rhetoric devices in real life!

The play was excellent - full marks from Scope's students and tutors!

Our students loved the experience of a theatre visit and are already planning our next English field trip!

Prelims: what Edinburgh teachers don't tell students or parents

The countdown to prelims has started - but why are they so important? Our latest blog post lays out exactly why the prelims are so important and also exposes the secrets teacher's don't tell their students!

Scope is composed of medical student tutors who know all of the secrets to complete exam success. We travel to our student's homes, offer a free initial assessment and are the best valued tuition service in Edinburgh!

1. If you get low scores, lots of schools kick you off that subject.

Many schools are ultimately motivated by grades and percentages. Therefore they reserve the right to withdraw any students that are not achieving pass grades at prelims. We think this is unfair when some students have worked for almost 2 years towards a subject and are not even given the chance of sitting the exam because they had a bad day in January. That is why prelims are so important to get right! 

2. The exams are often just the last summer exams, and are always composed of old past paper questions!

Almost all prelims are composed of the June exam in that subject or small alterations of it. Equally, many of the exams are composed of past paper questions of other boards exams. Therefore, when preparing for the prelims, it is vitally important to do as many past papers as you can. Scope Tutors have access to all of the latest SQA papers as well as hundreds of past papers from examination boards across the UK. 

3. If you have a problem in May, the prelim results could count as your real results. 

The official purpose of prelims is to set expected grades for SQA so that incase a student cannot sit the exams in May and June, then the prelim results act as your actual results. So essentially, the exams in June potentially could be the results that you carry around on your CV for the rest of your life! Scary!

4. Almost everyone does better in the real exams than the prelims!

No one has a good time at prelims. Often they act as a bit of kick into action for many students, and teachers know this. So even if a student doesn't get what they want, there are still several months to turn it around! One of Scope's students last year was almost removed from the English course at her school for failed prelim results - but after 4 months of tuition with Scope she ended up with a B! 

Hopefully you found this blog post informative! Please feel free to contact the Scope Team if you have any questions about preparing for prelim exams, or if you would like to book a free assessment session with one of our lovely medical student tutors!

 

 

When should your child start preparing for prelims?

The age old question - when should you start revising? With prelims starting in less than 80 days, the ripples of panic are spreading across the classrooms of Edinburgh. Teacher's reserve the right to withdraw their students from courses if they perform badly in the Prelims and with Christmas break immediately before the exams - they are notoriously difficult to prepare for. As medical students who constantly prepare for examinations, Scope's tutors are experts in revision.

Below we have compiled a general revision plan that we personalise for each of our tuition students to ensure total Prelim success! 

PRELIM COUNTDOWN PLAN

T-80 Days
Start compiling your notes and identifying what topics you struggle with. Sometimes it is hard to know what you don't know - this is why it is so important to ask yourself these questions early way before exam day. 

T-60 Days
Fill the gaps in your notes and prepare your revision material. This is a lengthy process - but is crucial in order to facilitate your learning in the next step!

T-40 Days
Begin the process of learning the core content from your revision notes. Everyone has different learning strategies - some people have to chant out their notes, others just have to read it once. We are all different - but it is about finding a technique that works for you!

T-20 Days
Start practice papers. SQA have limited resources - think outside the box and do GCSE/AS Level practice papers which often examine similar questions. 

T-10 Days
Remember to relax over the Christmas holidays and hone in on the problems that you have been experiencing in the practice papers. 

Time 0
Smash the prelims!

If you think your child needs assistance with revision technique or guidance on particular areas of weakness in their course content please book a free assessment with one of our fantastic medical student tutors today!

 

 

Expert Psychology Tutor - Meet Hikari!

Very exciting times at Scope HQ as we welcome another tutor to the team this week. Hikari will be our expert tutor in Psychology, as well as many other subjects. Read all about Hikari below!

Hikari is in her third year of studying medicine, hoping to become a doctor in obstetrics. Being born in Japan and raised in the urban jungle of Singapore, Hikari enjoys going on hikes and camping trips since moving to Scotland for University at Edinburgh. She was first inspired to teach by her own Chemistry teacher in Singapore, who was passionate about his subject, and has supported her throughout high school and even now in medical school. With Scope, she will be tutoring in Biology, Chemistry, Human Biology and is Scope's expert tutor in Psychology. Hikari is an enthusiastic tutor that can support and encourage students both academically and holistically. 

Book a free assessment session with Hikari here!

Another tutor joins the ranks - Welcome Calum our expert music tutor!

We are so delighted to be welcoming another tutor to the team this week!

Calum is currently in his third year of medical studies at the University of Edinburgh; having chosen to move directly into clinical study. Before leaving school, Calum assisted in teaching Science and Maths classes and has always enjoyed helping others achieve their academic goals. Calum offers tutoring in Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry, English, Maths and Music. Outside of his academic commitments, Calum enjoys photography, walking his dog and being a bit of a foodie. Calum believes the best results from tutoring are seen when the student really enjoys sessions, and this ethos guides his sessions.  

Book your free assessment with Calum here!
 

Test yourself on the hardest topic in N5 Maths – can you answer this question?

Scope thinks that surds can be one of the nastiest topics on N5 Maths. When do you rationalise? Why do you sometimes change the sign on the denominator? Why can you add some surds together but not others?

Test yourself and see if you can answer this surds question!

If you think you might need some help with N5 maths or any other topic – you can organise a free assessment session with one of our tutors today! Email us for the answer and working out for this question!

Welcome to the team Jamie!

This week we are very happy to announce a new member has joined our team!  Jamie Burrell, a third year medical student at the University of Edinburgh will be joining our group of enthusiastic tutors.  Jamie is very excited to be getting started with Scope Tutors and looks forward to meeting new clients!

Jamie will be tutoring Biology, Chemistry and Maths at National 5 level and Higher level.

We are very excited to be expanding quickly and look forward to more new faces join our tutoring ranks!

 

National 5 English - How to analyse ANY poem

English poetry at National 5 level can be confusing and tricky to revise for. ESPECIALLY when your school English teacher seems to go into crazy amounts of depth for each line of the poem.. 

Exactly like this - RIGHT?

At Scope, at National 5 level English poetry, we believe any poem can be split into 5 key areas that makes it way easier to analyse using the SCOPE POEM MODEL.  

1. STRUCTURE

How many stanzas has this poem got? What does this mean? In English, the structure of the writing has such an important link to the meaning of the poetry. This analysis of structure will grab you those top marks. 

2. RHYME

Sometimes poems have a rhyme scheme, other times (like the beautiful poetry above) they just simply don't. But it is so important to state what the rhyme scheme is (even if there isn't an obvious one), and link it to what it means! 

3. LANGUAGE

Metaphor, simile, alliteration, sentence structure, oxymoron, punctuation, hyperbole, personification, pathetic fallacy... the list is endless! You need to know the list of techniques in English and know when to use them! 

4. THEME AND MEANING
 

What does this poem mean? What is this poem about in your opinion. In English, often there is no right answer - so usually what you think the poem is about is right!

5. COMPARE

Compare the similarities and differences between this poem and the other one you have been asked to analyse. Remember, think Structure, Rhyme, Language and then Theme!

At Scope, we offer a free initial assessment, so if you think you would benefit from some ENGLISH poetry guidance or help with any other subject book your free assessment here now!

5 Things Your Teachers Don't Tell You About N5 Maths

1.    Get the basics nailed
Do you find your maths teacher is jumping from topic to topic and not giving time to solidifying your basic maths?  At Scope Tutors we understand that although you might feel like you DO understand how to do the harder topics, you keep making silly mathematic mistakes with dividing, adding, subtracting and fractions.  Invest some time doing some simple maths questions (I know, not fun), but it will stop you losing any more silly marks!

2.    Right answer, but wrong answer: Significant figures
It is REALLY important to get the significant figures right.  The default number is 3 significant figures in all SQA maths exams (note this is NOT the same as 3 decimal places!!).  The question might ask you for a different number of sig figs so CHECK!  Even if you’ve got all your working right and come to the right answer, you won’t get all the marks if you’re sig figs are off.

3.    STEPS STEPS STEPS
Got the right answer? Yes?  Written EVERY step of your working down? No?  You might not get all the marks!  I know it seems unfair – you’ve got the right answer so why does it matter, right?  Well, maths examiners need to be able to follow your method to give you all the marks, so make sure you’re writing down every little step so they can keep up with you!  Also, writing all the mathematical steps doesn’t just help the examiner give you marks – you are a lot less likely to make silly mistakes too.  So win win!

4.    More ways than one
There are always a hundred different ways of getting to the right answer in maths.  Your maths teacher’s way might not be the easiest way for you.  At Scope Tutors we understand that different mathematical methods are easier to understand for different students.  If you’ve got an easier way to get to the right answer, then stick with it!  Your teacher is in charge of a whole class so they often don’t have the time to work with you individually to find the best way for you.

5.    Past papers
There are far more past papers than just the official SQA papers.  Maths is a subject where the same questions come up over and over just with different numbers inserted, so really it doesn’t matter what your source is.  There are hundreds of National 5 level questions on every topic on the wonderful world wide web so use this to your advantage!  Don’t think you’ve exhausted all the practice questions you could do after using just your textbook and past papers!  Get on that Google search! Furthermore, at Scope we have access to even more maths practice papers and maths resources than you can imagine!

If you think you could benefit from personal tuition, please do not hesitate to book your first free assessment and we will gladly help!