• For Premiere & PAL students considering UK universities - link to Open Days calendar
• Information for Parents in 1e & PAL and Terminale & TAL
• Un guide en français sur la procédure UCAS
• Further Education (not university) courses
• Student Finance for UK Universities Entry 2012 - New official website
• IELTS – English Language Proficiency Test
• Orientation for the 14-19 years old
• Useful websites
• UK University applications FAQ's
• UK university application guidelines for students leaving the lycee in 1e
• Guidelines for past lycee students changing uk degree courses

For Premiere & PAL students considering UK universities - link to Open Days calendar

You may find this link to a calendar of university Open Days useful. There are Open Days all the year around, and if you have the opportunity over the summer and despite the fact that there will be no students on campus, visiting a few institutions is recommended to give you the feel of British university life. It is worth checking with the individual universities as some have self-guided tours and  departmental visits as well as the traditional Open Day.

www.opendays.com

 

Information for Parents in 1e & PAL and Terminale & TAL

Explications sur la procédure UCAS en français
Il existe un guide de 6 pages (format PDF) qui explique la procédure UCAS, en français
Télécharger gratuitement ce guide

Further Education (not university) courses

To explore and compare thousands of courses at hundreds of schools, colleges and work based learning providers go to the UCAS Progress site www.ucasprogress.com (NB this is not for for university courses, for undergraduate course use this link www.ucas.ac.uk )

On UCAS Progress you will be able to:

• Search by postcode, subject and school, college or work based learning provider
• List results by course or provider and view them on a map
• Log in and save your favourite courses so you can come back to them at any time

 IELTS – English Language Proficiency Test
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It is a test taken by most Lycée students who do not have GCSE English at Grade B or above and who are considering studying at a British university. 
It tests the four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking. IELTS is available in two test formats: Academic or General Training. All candidates take the same Listening and Speaking modules but different Reading and Writing modules. For the purposes of applying to a British University the Academic test is required.
Listening, Reading and Writing must be completed in one day. Depending on your test centre, the Speaking test may be offered on the same day or up to a week before or after the other parts.
IELTS is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations and is delivered through a number of test centers. This is the official site IELTS Organisation
Click on this link to find the nearest IELTS centre and check the test dates to find two options that suit . There are 48 fixed test dates per year. Note the deadline for registering for each test date and the cost.
Preparation for the IELTS can be done at number of places, and whilst we do not recommend any in particular, you may find the following selection useful in your researches:

•  University of Westminster, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages – short courses University of Westminster IELTS preparation
•  International House 16 Stukeley St, London WC2B 5LQ IH preparation for IELTS
•  Wimbledon School of English Wimbledon school of English IELTS
•  MBA Center London 125-133 Old Brompton Rd, London SW7 3RP MBA Centre London

Most universities ask for a score of between 6 and 7.5 in writing and speaking.
NB Prior to registering for the test or a preparation course you should have a discussion with your English teacher to discuss your readiness for the test and the level of preparation required.

Orientation for the 14-19 years old
- My Choice in London

- Career advice for all ages groups
The National Careers Service website provides careers advice and information on a wide range of jobs, training course, resources and funding for all ages. It also has tools such as CV and Action Plan builders and a Learning Record repository.
13-19 year olds who have any questions or queries about jobs, careers, learning or training after searching the site, can get in touch by phone, webchat, email or text: further information

Useful websites

• A useful site with job profiles and career planning tools: Next Step Planning Your Career
• Unistats

UK University applications FAQ's

UK UNIVERSITY APPLICATION GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS LEAVING THE LYCEE IN PREMIERE
If you are leaving the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in 1e but still want to apply to a UK university, the Lycée will not process your application but will supply you with references and predicted grades if you have completed a minimum of 2 terms of 1e.
In all cases you will need to apply to UK universities through UCAS but as an independent candidate unless your new school will process your application for you. This is not complicated, but you need to pay attention to the guidelines on the UCAS site and respect the deadlines given on the site.

- Before you leave the Lycée 

• Request References and Predicted Grades
  Ensure that you request references from your teachers in the normal way. The documents will be distributed by Mme Perry in the Secretariat des Proviseurs Adjoints in April. 
• Draft your personal statement and review with your English teacher. 
• Get the Lycee Buzzword.

If you are leaving the school before the end of the second term, you will need to get your references and predicted grades from your new school teachers, as the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle will not have enough information on you to determine a realistic prediction.

- Over the summer
Research and fine tune your university and course choices.

- In your new school at the Rentrée in September
Check if they have a process for you to follow. If not then register on the UCAS site as an Independent Candidate.

UCAS registration & Lycée Charles de Gaulle reference request
Contact the CIO with your request for a reference (contact details are on the website).
Once we have agreed to supply you with a reference you will need to:

• Go to the 'Options' section of your UCAS application and
• Click 'Ask a registered school, college or organisation to write your reference only'.
  - This means that the Lycée can write a reference for you but won't be involved in the rest of your application.
  - Once the Lycée has completed the reference, a red tick will be displayed next to the 'Reference' section in the left-hand navigation column
• You will then need to pay for your application, following the guidelines in Apply and submit the application yourself. You can send your application of according to your own timetable
• Please go to the UCAS site and read the FAQs and instructions carefully.

If you do want us to supply references and you need to let us know as soon as possible.  In the weeks leading up to the deadlines, the Lycée’s priority is the current students.

The UCAS site provides excellent guidelines on personal statement writing and course choice and there are many other useful sites on-line.
Good luck with your decisions and applications!   

GUIDELINES FOR PAST LYCEE STUDENTS CHANGING UK DEGREE COURSES
If you are thinking about changing university, you need to be sure about what is going to be different next time and why you think it will be better. The first term anywhere new is always a challenge. Ask yourself, have you worked out precisely what it is that troubling you - the course, the culture, the other students, adapting to a more independent way of working etc? Have you spoken to your tutor? Have you spoken to your university careers department? Have you considered changing courses at the same university?

If you have done all the above but you still decide to go ahead and to re-apply elsewhere, you need to register on the UCAS system as an independent candidate. This means that the Lycée will not be responsible for sending your application to UCAS; you will do this yourself when you are ready.

References: The Lycée can supply the same references as were submitted the previous year. If you left the school over 1 year ago, it is unlikely that we will be able to help and you will probably need to choose another referee. If you do want us to supply references and you need to let us know as soon as possible. In the weeks leading up to the deadlines, the Lycée’s priority is the current students.

UCAS registration & Lycée reference request

• Contact the CIO with your request. Once we have agreed to supply you with a reference you will need to:
  - Go to the 'Options' section of your UCAS application.
  - Click 'Ask a registered school, college or organisation to write your reference only'.
  This means that the Lycée can write a reference for you but we won't be involved in the rest of your application.
• Once the Lycée has completed the reference, a red tick will be displayed next to the 'Reference' section in the left-hand navigation column
• You will then need to pay for your application, following the guidelines in Apply and submit the application yourself.
• Please click on this link and read the FAQs and instructions carefully.

Application advice:
Unless your application was a post-results application agreed prior to you leaving the school or there are extenuating circumstances, the CIO cannot provide personal statement or other application advice. Our priority has to be the current students and resources are limited.
The UCAS site provides excellent guidelines on personal statement writing and course choice and there are many other useful sites on-line.
We would advise however that when explaining your change of university and/or subject that you focus on the positives, and do not complain about the course or university you originally chose.
Good luck with your decisions and applications!