Educational Truths or Lies?
Happy April Fools Day! It’s a custom on April 1st, to play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. So what better way to celebrate than seeing if you can spot which are our two truths and one lie in the questions below? This blog post will explore a range of topics across education, you'll find facts about STEM education as well as Tutor House's own revision courses. Find out if you are an educational whizz or if we, well, fooled you. After all, not everything in education is as apparent as it seems, and you may find some of the facts surprising…
Question 1
1. Only 35% of STEM students at UK universities are women.
2. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is held on February 11th.
3. Women make up 40% of the STEM workforce.
What’s the lie? The percentage of women in the STEM workforce is actually lower at 25% according to stemwomen.com. Both this and the shockingly low percentage of women studying STEM subjects at university we hope change in the future. See our blog post on 6 Inspiring Women in Science to see just why it's so important for women to join the STEM force.
Question 2
1. Tutor House provides a mandatory training session for all tutors.
2. Tutor House allows tutors to set their own rates.
3. Anyone can become a tutor at Tutor House.
What’s the lie? While we encourage people with a passion for tutoring to apply, we do have a certain criteria that tutors need to match, in order to provide our students with the best experience. See our guide to signing up as a tutor to find out if you are eligible to become a tutor with us.
Question 3
1. Tutor House’s revision courses are for A-Level students only.
2. The average class size of the revision courses is 3 students.
3. Our revision course tutors have intimate knowledge of your exam boards and are experts in their fields.
What’s the lie? While we do offer online intensive group revision courses for students about to sit their A-Level exams, we also do the same for students doing their GCSEs. We have lots of information about our Easter Revision courses here. This is happening soon and spaces are filling up fast - so sign up quickly to secure your spot!
Question 4
1. You need to write a personal statement to get into university.
2. Using a personal statement checker will get you into your top choice university.
3. It is important to include your interests when writing your personal statement.
What’s the lie? Personal statement checkers are great for improving your application and making you stand out from the crowd. However, there is no guarantee that it will get you into your top choice university. What it instead does for you is focus on areas you need to improve on to increase your chances. Learn more about what a personal statement checker can do for you here.
Question 5
1. Tutor House offers tutoring in over 25 different languages.
2. Learning a language improves your self confidence.
3. Studying a language at university is a waste of time.
What’s the lie? While there are cons to studying a language at university, as some may say you don’t experience enough contact time, there are pros too. You will come away with valuable skills and be more employable. If this debate interests you, see our opinion piece: should you study a language at university?
Question 6
The incorrect sentence is…
1. I asked you to buy less lemons.
2. We cleaned the cats’ claws.
3. It is important that she pass her exams.
What’s the lie? The first sentence is not correct as it misunderstands countable and uncountable nouns. With a countable noun, such as lemons, you should use ‘fewer’ not ‘less’. The second may look odd, but it is correct when referring to multiple cats, and the third is an example of the subjunctive being used in English. Find out more details in our guide to grammar.
Question 7
1. Oxbridge submission dates are typically in October.
2. You can apply to study at both Oxford and Cambridge at the same time.
3. You may be required to take an admissions test.
What’s the Lie? Unfortunately, you cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge within the same year, as both universities have a high demand of applicants. It’s important to pick wisely and thoroughly research the university and course you prefer. You can learn more about how to prepare for your interviews with your very own Oxbridge interview and preparation tutor.
Question 8
1. Tutor House offers support and guidance for homeschooled children.
2. In 2020 the number of children being homeschooled in the UK rose by 18%.
3. Flexi-schooling allows children to be taught part-time at school, part-time at home.
What’s the lie? Children being homeschooled in the UK actually rose by a much larger sum of 38%. The pandemic resulted in parents reassessing the education system and how it benefits their children. They looked at homeschooling as a good alternative. Check out our homeschooling page to find out more details about how to homeschool your child.
Question 9
1. Maths is a universal language.
2. Maths is useful to our everyday lives.
3. Maths is difficult and boring.
What’s the lie? Maths is not difficult and boring. There is actually so much more to it than meets the eye and it's very influential in our day-to-day lives. Studying it will help you build up a high level of problem solving, critical thinking, and creative skills. Disagree? Check out this blog post here.
Question 10
1. There is a big step up from GCSEs to A-Levels.
2. Students typically take up 3 or 4 A-Levels of their choice.
3. IB is easier than A-Levels.
What’s the lie? In general, IB (short for International Baccalaureate) is seen to be harder to study than A-Levels. It requires you to take 6 subjects leaving you with an increased workload and less time for extracurricular activities. Find out more about different types of qualifications you can take, and the pros and cons between them in our blog post here.
Were you fooled?
Whether you knew the correct facts or were surprised by some, hopefully you found this a fun way to reassess the state of education at the moment. April is an especially important time to consider this with exams approaching and the next academic year on the way. Thinking about the big picture is good to start preparing for it now.
