References and predicted grades: the parts of the application you do not write

Admissions readers treat the reference as the one part of the file not written by the candidate. A specific reference that describes something you did in a lesson carries more weight than three paragraphs of praise, because praise is available to everybody.

Choosing whom to ask

• A teacher in the subject you are applying for, ideally one who has taught you recently and at Higher Level.
• Someone who has seen you struggle with something and get through it — that story is more useful than a record of easy top marks.
• Not the most senior person available. A head of school who barely knows you writes a weaker letter than a teacher who does.

How to ask well

1. 1Ask at least a month before the deadline, in person or by a proper email — never in a corridor two days before.
2. 2Hand over a single page: where you are applying, which subject, your draft statement, and two or three moments in their class you would be glad to see mentioned.
3. 3Give the deadlines in a list, with the earliest first, and remind them once, a week ahead.
4. 4Say thank you afterwards, and tell them how it turned out.

Predicted grades decide more than the reference does

In the UK system a predicted grade below the typical offer will usually stop an application before anyone reads the statement. Predictions are made by teachers from your actual work, so the only real lever is the work you produce in the months before they are set — and knowing when that is. Ask early which pieces the prediction will be based on.