An award winning college
In 2012, for the second consecutive year, CSFC was named Top Sixth Form
College in the UK by The Education Advisers and was also named the Top
UK Co‐educational Boarding School
in the UK,
receiving two coveted Crystal
Awards.In 2011 named us Top
Sixth Form College in the UK.In 2009 we were ranked Top Sixth
Form College
by
1.
Cambridge
2.
Oxford
3.
Imperial
4.
LSE
5.
Durham
6.
St Andrews
7.
UCL
8.
Warwick
9.
Lancaster
10.
Bath
11.
Bristol
12.
York
13.
Edinburgh
14.
Southampton
15.
Exeter
• Flexible subject
combination.
• Individual Timetables.
• 5 – 8 hours per week for
core A level subjects.
• Specialist teaching.
• Staff : Pupil Ratio : 1 staff :
4 students.
• Weekly tests in all
subjects.
• Regular homework
assignments.
• Private study sessions.
• Regular revisions classes. Our premises at Trinity Court
• In 2012, for the second consecutive year, CSFC was named Top Sixth Form College in the UK
by The Education Advisers and was also named the Top UK Co‐educational Boarding
School
in the UK,
receiving two coveted Crystal Awards.
• In 2011 named us Top Sixth Form College in the UK.
• In 2009 we were ranked Top Sixth Form College
by
Cardiff Sixth Form College was included in a publication by Cambridge University Student Union celebrating 800 years of Educational Excellence, alongside Eton and many
other prestigious schools/colleges.
GCSEs2009 100%
A* ‐
C grades
2010 100% A* ‐
B grades
2011 100%
A* – B grades
A‐levels2009 100%
A – C grades
2010 100% A* ‐
B grades
2011 98%
A* ‐
B grades
Since 2007, CSFC can confirm that 100% of students applying for Medicine, Dentistry and
Veterinary Science have been successful in gaining university places for their chosen courses,
as well as considerable success in gaining places to study other
high demand course such as
Engineering, Economics and Humanities.
We actively arrange regular work experience placements (a very unique feature to CSFC)
coupled with an extensive Cambridge Pre‐u Diploma, allowing students to make an informed
career choice.
We have an excellent record for placing Oxbridge candidates.
• Expert advice given on applications to all university courses. We have dedicated staff
with experience of working in university admissions.
• Oxford and Cambridge Entrance: Specialist advice, training on entrance exams and
mock interviews conducted by experienced university admissions staff are available to
students.
• Students are encouraged to take the Cambridge Pre‐U Diploma or Extended Projects
alongside their A‐levels, providing students with a balanced curriculum.
• Higher Education Guidance: As a unique feature of CSFC, students benefit from one to
one meetings with our Careers Advisor (former Admissions Tutor) from the start of the
course and each student has the opportunity to undertake regular
work experience
placements both locally and abroad. Students also benefit from mock interviews,
personal statement sessions and university entrance examination courses.
• CSFC Academic/Healthcare Diploma‐Students in their first year of A‐level benefit from a
theoretical and practical insight into university study.
• Stay Ahead Scheme: Students in their final year of A‐level benefit from a detailed
insight into university study.
We provide extensive exam preparation for:
•BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test) for Medicine/Vetinerary Science
•LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law)
•UKCAT (UK Clinical Aptitude Test) for Medicine/Dentistry
•TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment) for Engineering, Economics, Philosophy and Psychology
•STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper) for Maths
•ELAT (English Literature Admissions Test)
BMATSection 1: Aptitude and Skills
Q. In a trial of a drug intended to relive depression, 15% of those tested claimed it made them feel worse, 20% said it produced a slight improvement
and 35% said it led to a significant improvement. Of the remaining people in the sample, 9 said it no effect and the other 27 failed to complete the course of treatment.
How many people initially participated in the trial?
A
36
B
66
C
90
D
106
E
120
BMATSection 2: Scientific Knowledge and Applications
Q: When resting, the inside of a nerve cell contains more chloride ions than sodium ions and so is negatively charged. When the cell fires,
sodium ions, but not potassium ions, enter the cell through a channel and the voltage becomes positive.
What feature of the chemistry of sodium and potassium could explain why sodium ions and not potassium ions enter the cell during firing?
A
The chlorides have different solubilities.
B
The ions have different colours.
C
The metals have different reactivity.
D
The ions have different masses.
E
The ions have different sizes.
A: Although an unusual context, the chemistry here is quite straightforward.
The solubilities of the two chlorides are similar, but solubility is not the issue.
The colour of the ions is irrelevant.
The reactivity of the two metals is quite similar, as are their masses.
Potassium ions are much larger than sodium ions and will not fit into the ion channels in the cell membrane, so
E is the correct
answer.
BMAT
Section 3: Writing Task
Q: There is more to healing than the application of scientific knowledge.
Write a unified essay in which you address the following:
Briefly define ‘scientific knowledge’. Explain how it might be argued that medical treatment that is not wholly based on
scientific knowledge is worthless. Discuss whether there can be approaches to healing the are valid but not amenable to
scientific experiment.
Sample Answer: Scientific knowledge is the understanding of the relationship between cause and effect, gained through empirical study of natural and man-made phenomena. (Empiricism distinguishes “natural philosophy” from “science”.) Theories must be tested repeatedly and corroborated by different parties, after which they may be accepted into the current body of scientific knowledge.One could argue that medical treatment should be wholly based on such “scientific knowledge” as follows.1.Without proper empirical understanding of cause and effect, we cannot predict the outcome of treatment, and therefore cannot be sure whether our treatment could do harm of good. It may be better not to treat at all.2.Without scientific reproduction of results, there are no principles that can apply to many patients, therefore treatment must be individual and inefficient.3.Unless treatment is based on scientific knowledge, it might be incompatible with current medical methods that are themselves scientific and mechanistic CONT
4. If treatment cannot be supported by scientific knowledge, it is impossible to be accountable for one’s actions or to be safe from litigation.
These arguments may not be valid in some cases, but the modern paradigm of “healing” is as much to do with removal of obstacles to mental potential as it is the removing those blocking physical weakness. “Medical treatment” is really only concerned with the latter. The use of alternative therapies or new ways of working to release psychological potential is concerned largely with the scientific conditions of individuals, and cannot be tested empirically, or generalised across the whole affected population. By recognising this very important aspect of health care, it is perfectly possible for the standard concept of science-based medicine and individualistic and holistic approaches to health care to coexist and complement one another.
This answer received 5A – the highest possible score.
The examiner’s comments on this answer.There’s no such thing as a perfect essay; really good answers can take
many forms, and are rarely without some faults. This example, which has only been lightly edited, achieved full marks, even though it could certainly be improved upon. It is clear that the person writing the
piece is in command of the issue in questions, has the ability to think about it in an original way and express him/herself compellingly. It was
felt that the ‘definition’
paragraph was clear and forceful, though the ‘history of science’
lesson wasn’t really necessary! The candidate
showed greater insight and breadth in the justifications (numbered paragraphs) he or she gave for the ‘worthless’
proposition, ranging
from the purely scientific or practical, to the speculative and socio‐ legal, than other essays. He or she clearly showed an understanding of
the alternative point of view and made a convincing and practical synthesis of the two in the closing paragraph.
LNAT:
Read the article and then answer the multiple choice questions.
1 Physicians and Patients
Traditional medical oaths and codes prescribe a physician’s character, motives, and duties. Typically they portray ideal physicians as devoted to the
welfare of patients and to advancement of the medical profession
and medical knowledge, responding compassionately to the suffering of patients,
humbly mindful of the limits of their curative powers and the harms they may unintentionally cause. The Hippocratic injunction “Strive to help, but above
all, do no harm”
is the ruling maxim.
Although still supported by religious texts and medical tradition, this ideal physician is increasingly criticized as “paternalistic”, too willing to act on
judgments of a patient’s best interests without the patient’s knowledge or consent. To treat without consulting a patient is to assume that
a patient
does or should share one’s own assessment of the risks, benefits, and burdens of treatment. But current hospital specialists, it is said, rarely know
their
CONT
patients (or themselves) well enough to make this assumption without serious risk of ignorant arrogance. Given hospital hierarchies, such
paternalistic physicians are seen to resemble Victorian patriarchs.
Some physicians reject such criticism as intervention by lawyers, philosophers, feminists, and other social critics ignorant of the realities of
medical and hospital life. But the “neo‐paternalists”
admit that physicians should attend more carefully to a patient’s desires and to give them greater
weight in arriving at a treatment of choice. Unmollified
critics, however, continue to insist that treatment choice belongs to the patient,
however
imprudent, and not to the physician, however attentive and knowing. To curb Hippocratic paternalism they define a range of patients’
specific rights to be
told about, and choose among, alternative treatments, including
a right to refuse all, even life‐saving treatment.
These rights confer adult status on patients whom paternalists regard as children, replacing quasi‐familial with quasi‐legal relations. A patient’s “free
and informed consent”
reflects an implicit therapeutic contract, defined and reviewed as treatment proceeds. A physician who treats without such
CONT
consent is not a patriarch, but a batterer. Less litigiously, these rights define a “principle of autonomy”
traced to Kantian notions of respect for persons and
inherent human dignity.
Attempts to apply this principle have raised questions of scope:
Is a patient’s “free and informed consent”
needed for routine procedures with slight or
rare risks? Is consent required if a patient would, in the physician’s judgment, be “medically harmed”
by information about diagnosis and prognosis? Are
refusals to be honoured even if patients risk death, as do surgical patients religiously opposed to blood transfusion? Does the principle (contra Kant) cover voluntary euthanasia? Can children or mentally ill patients give
informed consent at least for some procedures? Can parents or other surrogates give or refuse “substituted”
consent when a patient is too ill to
consider the options or to speak. Whatever the scope of a principle of patient autonomy, this challenge to paternalism has shifted the categories of
concern. Physicians’
power, not their character, has become the issue. Consequently, “Who is to decide?”
has become more pressing than “What is
to be done?”
Proper procedure has become as important, in medical ethics, as correct conclusions.
1. Which of the following pairs is not used as an opposition in the passage?
a)Ideal physician and Victorian patriarch
b)Adult and children
c)Quasi‐familial and quasi‐legal
d)Patriarch and batterer
e)Paternalism and autonomy
2. The writer takes the view that:
a)Physicians need to change their attitudes
b)Some doctors are too old‐fashioned
c)We need to reconsider the validity of the Hippocratic oath
d)The most important issue in medical ethics today is who decides
e)The patient should decide on their treatment, not the physician
3. Why might voluntary euthanasia be against
Kantian principles?
a)It is not a medical treatment
b)It does not respect human dignity
c)It is contrary to natural law
d)It undermines the patient/physician relationship
e)It is not an example of autonomy
Answers:
1.A
‐
Ideal physician and Victorian patriarch
2.D ‐
The most important issue in medical ethics today is who decides
3.B
‐
It does not respect human dignity
Tse Sing Yung (Peter)
A Level Grades:A* A* A* A* A*To:Southampton
UniversityStudying:Actuarial Science
with Mathematics
Comments:It wasn't just the
knowledge I learnt,
but the way to analyse
and get full marks on
each question. I chose
CSFC because I
wanted to be
educated in a top A
level institution in the
UK. The programme at
CSFC has certainly
helped me achieve my
goal whilst enabling
me to make friends
from all around the
world!
Sui Yan Lam(Cathy)
A Level Grades:A* A* A* A*To:Warwick UniversityStudying:
MathematicsOperational
Research Statistics
and Economics
(MORSE)Cathy received a
full scholarship
from Warwick
University.
Comments:I am really enjoying my
course at Warwick. I
know that CSFC helped
me to choose the right
University for my
ambitions and gave me a
good start for new
opportunities whilst
providing the best
environment for
studying! Their pastoral
care is second to none
and helped me to
understand who I am,
and what I can do!
Anne Barrett Head Girl
A Level Grades:A*A*A*A*To:Oxford UniversityStudying:Biochemistry
Comments:I have found the
college to be a
supportive, hard
working place to study
where the staff and
pupils are dedicated
and ambitious. Since
starting at CSFC I have
learnt that hard work
can help you achieve
whatever goals you set
yourself. I have
become more
confident in myself and
my abilities and have
been inspired to aim
high.
Grant Surgiura
A Level Grades:A*A*A*aTo: Cardiff UniversityStudying:Pharmacy
Comments:
This college is dynamic
and enjoyable! Staff
have taught us the need
for commitment to
achieving top gradesand going on to one of
the top universities.
Throughout my time at
CSFC I have learnt self
belief and know the
importance of consistent
hard work. I have also
made long term friends
here and I have enjoyed
every moment of my
time at CSFC.
We have an excellent record for placing students in the top Medical Schools
A Level GradesA*A*A*ATo:Cardiff UniversityStudying:Medicine
Comments:CSFC is a small and
friendly college where
the staff are always
willing to put 100%
effort into helping everyindividual student with
their problems, either
academic or personal.
The staff are very
knowledgeable andhelpful about which
universities to apply to
and we are helped to
arrange a lot of work
experience placements.
Aysha Hadid
A Level Grades:A*A*A*A* and
DistinctionTo: AustraliaStudying: Medicine
Shirley JayasekaraComments:Coming away from home
is really difficult but from
the day I arrived until
now I have not been
homesick. CSFC makes
this possible with all
their care and attention.Truly there is just no
other place to be if you
want to succeed and
have fun at the same
time!
Cardiff Sixth Form College offers a choice of
different types of accommodation:
•
A room in a University‐style Hall: The hall is warden controlled and divided into
separate flats. Each flat consists of 4/5 bedrooms
which are en suite. Students benefit from on‐site
catering at the college.
•
College owned housing:Four or five rooms are available in each house
owned by the college. There is a shared lounge and
students benefit from on‐site catering at the
college.
•
Homestay:The college has links with several families who live
locally and who are happy to have one or two
students living with them. Meals would be provided
and utilities bills would be covered in the overall
cost. This could be a suitable option for those who
like the idea of living in a supportive “family”
environment.Accommodation where you’ll feel happy,
safe and secure
All boarders have free access to state of
the art sports facilities at David Lloyd
Leisure Club. Day students may obtain
membership at subsidised rates.(Facilities can be used at evenings and
weekends)These facilities include:•
Indoor and Outdoor Swimming Pools.
• Gym and Exercise Classes.• Racquet Activities and Indoor and
Outdoor Team Sports‐Badminton, Tennis
and Squash.We also have the following clubs at the
college:•
Football Club.
• Netball Club.•
Basketball Club.
•
Indoor Rock Climbing Activity.
Cardiff Sixth Form College is proud of its involvement in the prestigiousSpace Settlement Design Competition at NASA for the past two years and in 2011
came First in the Final Competition.
The college is confident that participation in this type of programme allows students to push themselves academically while adding a global
perspective to their work experience portfolios.
Each year our students join teams from selected schools all across the world to compete in the final of the
competition held in NASA where they form teams/companies with other schools and are required to put
forward proposals for a specified problem. The competition requires a lot of intensive work and involves
long hours of discussion, planning and evaluating each other’s ideas in a competitive setting. At the end,
each company gives a formal presentation to an audience of approximately 1000. The audience is made up
of peers, post graduate students and internationally renowned scientists employed at NASA.
For over 6 years, our Goodwill Ambassador Programme has provided an exceptional balance of
academic study and extra curricular activities.
Students have the opportunity to experience international (South East Asia) exposure to their
chosen career and placements are arranged in a variety of careers ranging from Medicine and
Veterinary Science to Engineering, Finance and Law.
The 14 day programme combines problem based learning lectures at a local university, cultural
exchange at a local school, training through simulated and real‐life situations at various work
placements, and have witnessed live births, caesarean sections and autopsies; things most
students wishing to study medicine at university will see until their 4th
year.
The student's experience is further enhanced through several excursions including visits to heritage sites, island touring, Orangutan
Wildlife sites and shopping at the Famous Twin Towers. While participating in all the above,
students are contributing in the local community by teaching English at the local
orphanage.
It is our belief that raising awareness of cultural issues and broadening the horizons of
students in full time education should be a priority. Through the interactive activities that
take place, this trip provides students with a unique cultural exchange experience and the opportunity to build genuine friendships in the
local communities.
Cardiff is ideal for students. It is a capital city and has all the attractions and opportunities you would expect. It’s one of the top 10 shopping cities and The Millennium Stadium, International Arena and Wales Millennium Centre attract the biggest and best bands and shows. It’s the home of Welsh rugby, international cricket, and the FA Cup finalists, Cardiff City. The city centre and Cardiff Bay waterfront cafes and restaurants offer a life worthy of a capital city. Cardiff offers a pleasantly safe living and learning environment. It’s small, friendly and easy to get around but big enough to offer all the best bits of living in a major city.
In 2012 we received excellent inspection results from the
Independent School Inspectorate (ISI), and were graded as ‘outstanding’
in teaching, learning and welfare
Accredited by ASIC (Accreditation Services for International Colleges) with excellent report.Please view this on our website www.ccoex.com