Many Hong Kong firms lament the disparity between the paper qualifications of their applicants / employees, and their abilities to weigh up arguments when presented with difficult decisions in the real world.

University admissions officers around the world despair of the decline of the thinking student. Exams tend to focus on simplistic study skills, and grade inflation has increased the numbers of students getting straight As while reducing the ability of universities accurately to discriminate between them. Though Oxford and Cambridge test and interview applicants, many other universities simply cannot spare the time and expense.

Critical thinking courses at Kingsgate aim to inculcate the values of true scholarship to the individual student; to bring out the desire to know; to train the skills of evaluation and critical assessment. These values and skills are essential not just as aids to exam success, university acceptance, and CV enhancements; they matter in themselves and add value to the individual’s understanding of the world around him/her.

The courses we offer are aimed at different age groups and fit with pre-high school, secondary school/pre-university, and pre-job application courses:

1. Pre-high school course

This course focuses on reading skills, interpretation of argument, introduction to scientific and religious controversies, polite yet critical questioning of received opinion from parents and teachers. It is particularly useful for the young student aiming for a place at a UK boarding school.

2. Secondary School/Pre-university course

This course focuses on topical controversies, challenging of received opinion and orthodoxy, defence of intellectual position, interview guidance. It is aligned with the Hong Kong liberal studies curriculum and it provides essential tools to navigate the waters of Oxbridge entry.

3. Post-university course

This course focuses on life skills, job interviewing, critical assessment of business language, public speaking and report writing. Many graduates leave university with a gleaming academic transcript but are confounded by critical questioning at interview, and often lack initiative in the workplace.