Does UCAS allow help with the personal statement?

Yes, within limits. UCAS suggests asking people you trust for feedback, and its AI guidance names brainstorming, structure and readability as acceptable uses. It does not accept text you did not write: you declare that the statement has not been copied from another source, AI included, and UCAS checks for similarity. Our coaching is comments and questions only.

Will you write or rewrite my statement?

No. Tutors do not write, rewrite, edit or proofread sentences or suggest wording to paste in. They point to what is unclear, unsupported or missing and ask questions until you can answer them in your own words.

When should a DP2 student start?

About eight weeks before your school's internal deadline, which usually falls well before 13 January. If you start later, book the written rounds ahead so the 2-working-day turnaround applies.

What if my school issues predicted IB grades after 15 October?

For Oxford or Cambridge, ask your school early whether it can issue predictions before 15 October. Oxford states that without predicted grades for exams not yet taken, your only alternative is to wait for your final results and apply then. For a 13 January application this is rarely a problem.

Can my subject tutor do this?

Often, yes. If you already have an IB Doctor tutor in the subject you are applying for, we ask them first. Otherwise we match another IB tutor in that subject.

Do I need this if my school has a counsellor?

Not always. If your counsellor can read several drafts in detail and knows your subject, you may not. If they can give each statement one read, we add subject-specific comment rounds around the school's dates.

Is this for Abitur students?

No. The coaching is for IB Diploma students, because it runs through an IB tutor who knows your IA, Extended Essay and HL work. If you are applying with the Abitur or the Matura, our guide to applying from Germany, Austria and Switzerland is written for you.

What about Oxford and Cambridge?

We coach the statement for Oxford and Cambridge applicants in the same way. College choice, admissions tests and interviews go to our partners The Red Pen and UniTarget.

University admissions

UCAS personal statement coaching for IB students

In short: One-to-one coaching for IB Diploma students writing the UCAS personal statement, with an IB tutor in the subject you are applying for, as the Starter bundle: 5 hours for £330. The tutor helps you plan, asks questions and comments on your drafts, never edits: you type every word.

Admissions staff read a personal statement quickly: two minutes on average in a 2023 HEPI survey of admissions professionals, and 88% said they mainly use it to judge interest in the course. A statement that names a method, a finding and what it taught you holds that reader. General enthusiasm does not.

Your school counsellor owns the UCAS process. Many look after a large final-year group and rarely have time for several rounds of detailed comments on each statement. We work alongside them on that part, not instead of them.

IB students usually have more evidence than they use: an IA is a small research project, the Extended Essay an investigation you designed, and HL subjects go further than many school courses. UCAS gives the Extended Essay and TOK their own tariff points, up to 12 each, but the tariff only counts grades. The statement shows what the work taught you, and an IB tutor in your subject knows which parts a reader for that course cares about.

16 to 19
Ages: 1:1
1-to-1 online, 60-minute lessons: from £52.50
per hour: 10 November 2026
Facts checked

Who this is for

IB Diploma students in DP2 applying through UCAS for 2027 entry, with the 13 January 2027 deadline ahead.
DP1 students who want a plan before the summer and their own first draft by the start of DP2.
Students at international schools where the counsellor looks after a large final-year group.
IB students applying to the UK from Germany, Austria, Switzerland or elsewhere who want a reader who knows what UK admissions tutors look for.

What we work on

Question 1: course fit

Why this course, in specifics. Your tutor teaches the subject and can tell whether your reasons describe the actual degree or a school version of it.

Question 2: your IB evidence

Your IA, Extended Essay, TOK and HL subjects as evidence: what you did, what you found and what it showed you about the subject.

Question 3 without padding

Activities outside the classroom, CAS included where relevant, chosen for what they show about you and the course, not listed for completeness.

The 4,000-character budget

We help you decide where the characters go across the three answers. You do the cutting.

Timeline against the deadlines

A plan that works back from 15 October or 13 January, with your school's internal deadline built in, since it usually comes first.

Your counsellor's role

The counsellor coordinates the reference, enters predicted grades and submits the application. We plan the comment rounds around the school's dates.

The format, the dates and the coaching

Format	Three questions: why you want to study the course, how your qualifications and studies have prepared you, and what else you have done to prepare outside education, and why those experiences are useful. 4,000 characters in total including spaces, at least 350 per answer.
Deadlines, 2027 entry	15 October 2026 for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses; 13 January 2027 for most other undergraduate courses. Both at 18:00 UK time.
Bundle	Starter, 5 hours, £330. The Taster (3 hours, £210) is the shorter option.
Written-round turnaround	5 working days. In the fortnight before 15 October or 13 January, 2 working days if you book the round ahead.
Who delivers	An IB tutor in the subject you are applying for, working to our reviewer rubric: comments and questions only, no rewritten sentences.

Format and dates from UCAS, which can change them between cycles.

How we keep it your own work

This covers the UCAS personal statement, which is not IB-assessed work. Tutors comment on your drafts and ask questions; they never write, rewrite, edit or proofread your sentences, and you type every word. That stays within the help UCAS describes as acceptable, such as brainstorming, structure and readability, so you can truthfully sign the UCAS declaration that the statement is your own. UCAS checks statements for similarity and may notify your universities. Our Terms cover this in section 14 (academic integrity) and section 15 (no promise of admissions outcomes).

What we do not do

Oxford or Cambridge college choice, admissions tests such as UCAT, LNAT, ESAT or TMUA, interview practice, and US or Canadian application essays. Our partners The Red Pen and UniTarget cover that work; their pages are linked below. Your school counsellor owns the reference, the predicted grades and the submission.

How the 5 hours run

1
Session 1: plan and evidence (1 hour)
Live with your tutor: the course, what each answer needs, and an inventory of your IA, EE, TOK, HL work and activities. You write the first draft afterwards.
2
Written round 1 (1 hour)
You send the draft; the tutor returns comments and questions in the margin, not rewritten sentences.
3
Session 2: revise (1 hour)
Live on the comments: what to cut, what to develop, where the evidence is thin. You revise afterwards.
4
Written round 2 (1 hour)
Comments on the revised draft, on the character budget and on whether each answer does its job.
5
Final read and deadline check (1 hour)
A last read of the version you plan to submit, anything unclear flagged as a question for you, and a check of limits and dates.

Price and hours

The coaching uses the Starter bundle: two live hours and three hours of the tutor reading and commenting on your drafts.

5 hours

£330

£66 per hour

Two live sessions and three written comment rounds with an IB tutor in the subject you are applying for.

Not sure yet? The 3-hour Taster for £210 covers one planning session, one written comment round and a final read.

Close to a deadline, book the written rounds ahead so the 2-working-day turnaround applies.

Get matched See all bundles

Frequently asked questions

Does UCAS allow help with the personal statement?: Yes, within limits. UCAS suggests asking people you trust for feedback, and its AI guidance names brainstorming, structure and readability as acceptable uses. It does not accept text you did not write: you declare that the statement has not been copied from another source, AI included, and UCAS checks for similarity. Our coaching is comments and questions only.
Will you write or rewrite my statement?: No. Tutors do not write, rewrite, edit or proofread sentences or suggest wording to paste in. They point to what is unclear, unsupported or missing and ask questions until you can answer them in your own words.
When should a DP2 student start?: About eight weeks before your school's internal deadline, which usually falls well before 13 January. If you start later, book the written rounds ahead so the 2-working-day turnaround applies.
What if my school issues predicted IB grades after 15 October?: For Oxford or Cambridge, ask your school early whether it can issue predictions before 15 October. Oxford states that without predicted grades for exams not yet taken, your only alternative is to wait for your final results and apply then. For a 13 January application this is rarely a problem.
Can my subject tutor do this?: Often, yes. If you already have an IB Doctor tutor in the subject you are applying for, we ask them first. Otherwise we match another IB tutor in that subject.
Do I need this if my school has a counsellor?: Not always. If your counsellor can read several drafts in detail and knows your subject, you may not. If they can give each statement one read, we add subject-specific comment rounds around the school's dates.
Is this for Abitur students?: No. The coaching is for IB Diploma students, because it runs through an IB tutor who knows your IA, Extended Essay and HL work. If you are applying with the Abitur or the Matura, our guide to applying from Germany, Austria and Switzerland is written for you.
What about Oxford and Cambridge?: We coach the statement for Oxford and Cambridge applicants in the same way. College choice, admissions tests and interviews go to our partners The Red Pen and UniTarget.

Also on this site

Related courses

Guides

Applying to UK universities from Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Applying with the IB?

Tell us the course and your school's internal deadline, and we match an IB tutor in that subject who comments on your drafts and never edits them.