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The Complete College Workbook

Academic skills · critical thinking · maths that matters · employability · independence · Ages 16–19+
✔ ACADEMIC WRITING: essay architecture · arguing with evidence · referencing basics
✔ CRITICAL THINKING: evaluating sources · spotting bad statistics · correlation ≠ causation
✔ MATHS THAT MATTERS: percentages, interest & the payslip, GCSE-resit core skills
✔ EMPLOYABILITY: CV clinic · personal statements · interview bank
✔ INDEPENDENCE: money, time and looking after your own head
✔ Answer key + honest self-audit throughout
the complete college workbook

Part 1 · Academic Skills ✍️

📝

College marks arguments, not opinions. The difference is structure and evidence — both learnable in an afternoon.

part 1 · academic skills
Academic 1

Essay Architecture

Name:
Date:
Every strong essay: Intro (answer the question in one sentence — your thesis — then map your points) → Body paragraphs (one point each: claim → evidence → analysis → link back) → Conclusion (answer again, richer, no new evidence).

1. Thesis or waffle? Tick the real thesis statements:

"Social media has both good and bad sides and this essay will look at both." (hint: says nothing)
"Although social media improves access to information, its algorithmic design harms adolescent attention more than it helps learning."
"Social media is very interesting and used by many people worldwide."

2. Build a body paragraph on ANY topic you're studying (or: "remote learning should stay an option"):

CLAIM (topic sentence — one point only):
EVIDENCE (a fact, example, study or quote — real, not invented):
ANALYSIS (the marks live here — HOW does the evidence prove the claim? What would a critic say back?):
LINK (connect back to the question):

3. Referencing basics — why cite? Tick all that are true:

It credits the original thinker (using ideas without credit = plagiarism, even accidentally)
It lets your reader check and build on your evidence
It makes your argument STRONGER — armoured with sources, not just vibes
⭐ Rewrite this as an in-text citation in the style your course uses (ask/check — commonly Harvard): "a 2023 report by the Education Policy Institute found tutoring gaps widened"
academic 1 · essay architecture
Academic 2

Critical Thinking — Don't Get Fooled

Name:
Date:

1. Source triage — rank these for a college essay on vaping (1 = strongest):

___ a peer-reviewed medical journal study   ___ a vape company's website   ___ a national newspaper article   ___ a TikTok from "HealthTruthWarrior99"
For the WEAKEST one: what's its bias, and could it still be useful for anything?

2. Correlation ≠ causation. Ice cream sales and drowning deaths rise together every year. Does ice cream cause drowning? Explain the REAL link (the hidden third factor):

3. Statistic surgery — what's dodgy about each claim?

a) "9 out of 10 dentists recommend it!" (how many dentists were asked? chosen by whom?)
b) "Crime DOUBLED this year!" (from 2 incidents to 4 in a tiny village)
c) "Graph shows profits SOARING" (the y-axis starts at 98, not 0)

4. ⭐ AI-era addition: you use an AI tool for research. List TWO checks before trusting anything it tells you:

academic 2 · critical thinking

Part 2 · Maths That Matters 💷

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The maths adults actually use — and the core skills GCSE resit students need cold.

part 2 · maths
Maths 1

Money Maths — Payslips, Interest & Deals

Name:
Date:

1. The payslip check: 16 hours at £8.60/hour.

Gross pay = · £4.13 total deductions → net pay =

2. Percentages under pressure:

A £1,200 laptop, 15% student discount →
Rent rises 8% from £450/month → new rent — extra per YEAR

3. Interest — the double-edged sword:

a) £500 saved at 4% simple interest per year = £ interest after one year
b) £500 on a credit card at 25% APR, unpaid for a year ≈ £ interest. Same £500 — write one sentence on the lesson:

4. Best buy: Deal A: 6 cans for £2.70 · Deal B: 4 cans for £1.92. Which is cheaper per can, and by how much?

5. ⭐ Resit core skills speed row:

3/5 as a % = · 0.35 as a fraction = · −3 + 7 = · 2.5 × 40 = · Solve 5x − 3 = 27: x =
maths 1 · money maths

Part 3 · Employability 💼

🤝

CVs, personal statements and interviews are all the same skill: evidence-based writing about yourself.

part 3 · employability
Employability 1

CV Clinic & Personal Statement

Name:
Date:

1. Weak → strong: upgrade each CV line with a specific + a result (the STAR trick: what did you DO and what happened?):

"Worked in a shop." →
"Good team player." →
"Helped at a club." →

2. Personal statement opener — write TWO versions of your first sentence (UCAS or apprenticeship), then circle the better one:

Version 1 (the safe one):
Version 2 (start mid-story — a moment that shows WHY this field):
Banned openers (they read thousands): "From a young age…" · "I have always been passionate about…" 😉

3. Interview bank — draft your bullet-point answers:

"Tell me about yourself" (present → past → future, 60 seconds):
"Tell me about a challenge you overcame" (STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result):
Your question for THEM:
employability 1 · cv & statements
Independence

Running Your Own Life

Name:
Date:

1. The 50/30/20 rule: needs 50% · wants 30% · savings 20%. You earn £400/month part-time. Split it:

Needs £ · Wants £ · Savings £ — then adjust to YOUR real life: what counts as a "need" for you?

2. Deadline maths (planning backwards, adult edition): an assignment is due in 14 days and needs ~10 hours. You can realistically do 1 hour a day, 5 days a week.

Is "start in week 2" survivable? Show the numbers:

3. The admin of adulthood — tick what you can already do, star what to learn this term:

Book my own GP/dentist appointment (phone script: name, DOB, "I'd like to book…")
Read a payslip and spot an error
Email a tutor properly (subject line, greeting, ask, sign-off)
Cook five different dinners without a video
Spot a scam message (urgency + bank details + secrecy = 🚩)
Know where to get help when my head's not okay (GP, college counselling, Samaritans 116 123)

4. ⭐ Looking after the machine: sleep, food, movement and people aren't luxuries around study — they're the hardware it runs on. Which one do you shortchange most, and what's the smallest fix?

independence · running your life
Answer Key

Answers & Notes

Essay architecture

Only the second statement is a thesis (it takes a defendable position). Referencing: all three true. Citation (Harvard style): (Education Policy Institute, 2023).

Critical thinking

Ranking: journal 1, newspaper 2, vape company 3–4, TikTok 3–4 (company useful for its OWN claims/marketing evidence). Ice cream: hot weather causes both. Stats: a) sample size/selection unknown · b) tiny base numbers — percentages mislead · c) truncated axis exaggerates change. AI checks: verify against a citable source; check the claim exists (AI can invent), check recency.

Money maths

Gross £137.60 · net £133.47 · Laptop £1,020 · Rent £486, +£432/yr · Interest: £20 vs ≈£125 — saving pays you, borrowing charges you, same maths opposite directions · Best buy: A 45p/can vs B 48p — A by 3p/can · Speed row: 60% · 7/20 · 4 · 100 · x=6

Independence

50/30/20 of £400: £200/£120/£80 · Deadline: week 2 alone gives ~5 hours — not enough; starting week 1 gives ~10 · rest: personal

Tutor note

This book deliberately mixes academic and life skills — for 16–19s (especially SEND learners) the two are inseparable: the student who can email a tutor and read a payslip stays on the course. Pair with the Pathfinders workbooks for learners needing more scaffolding.
answer key