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Many applications for further study require a teacher or counsellor recommendation. These are confidential and so are not shared with students and families. These recommendations are uploaded securely, along with predicted grades, to the student's application portal.
Before a teacher writes a recommendation, the student should have discussed the request with the relevant teacher.
What goes into a letter of recommendation?
The letter of recommendation should discuss the student as a learner.
In some cases, such as UCAS, the universities want to know about the student's general academic achievement, ability and study habits. For some, such as US applications, this may be more specific to the subject and course they have chosen.
Give examples of the student demonstrating the skills and qualities you are identifying.
How should the recommendation be structured?
There are no set rules for the structure of a recommendation, but a good rule of thumb is:
An introductory paragraph that outlines your relationship with the student, in what capacity you know them and for how long.
Include details about your observations of the student as a learner in the classroom, such as their attitude to learning, particular strengths and interests, organisation, and relationships with others. Give specific examples.
Discuss your understanding of the student outside the classroom and its impact. For example, where relevant, discuss the student's CAS experiences, Extended Essay, form time contributions, and more. If necessary, include any extenuating circumstances that may have impacted the student. Again, give specific examples where relevant.
Conclude with a section about your opinion of the student's suitability for higher/tertiary education.
Note: From the 2024 admission cycle, the UCAS recommendation has been split into 3 sections. The first provides generic information about the school and is the same for all students and part two includes a student's extenuating or special circumstances, both of which will be completed by the DP Coordinator. The third section, which will be the section you are asked to complete, is the more traditional recommendation section. The whole recommendation is limited to 4000 characters but can be written in bullet form.
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