Past few years, my old school, Winchester, has seen a slow decline from around 50%, to around 30%, and then a sudden bump to around 20% a couple of years ago. I’d argue that the first change is organic, based on lots of things (state schools getting better, and cannier, perhaps to do with Gove’s academies system; top private schools getting more expensive, with a smaller and therefore less-talented pool...Read More
I wouldn’t be a tutor if it weren’t for the exquisitely difficult scholarship exams, set by the best teachers, at the oldest schools, for the brightest 13 year-olds. First of all because I scraped into Winchester College via its Election exams, many years ago. But also because everything else is boring by comparison. The French Structuralist Philosopher Roland Barthes said that the designers of the cars we see in our...Read More
This is my absolute favourite Maths question of all time. It’s hard, it’s simple, and it shows you something that all the best Maths scholarship questions do, which is this: Knowing how to use the tools is one thing, but knowing which tool to apply to the problem at hand is something quite different. Ready? Here we go. Solve, without a calculator: √11⅑ Which is to say, what is the...Read More
√11⅑ This is my absolute favourite Maths question of all time. It’s hard, it’s simple, and it shows you something that all the best Maths scholarship questions do, which is this: Knowing how to use the tools is one thing, but knowing which tool to apply to the problem at hand is something quite different. Ready? Here we go. Solve, without a calculator: √11⅑ Which...Read More
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be...Read More
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