Insights
News and insights
Tutor interviews, student stories and competition results from Hanlin, written for an English-reading audience.
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ISEF category guide, Part II: the second eleven disciplines
The second half of the ISEF category guide: engineering, materials, mathematics, physics, robotics, software, translational medicine and technology-enhanced arts.
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AP Biology course and study guide
AP Biology has moved to a hybrid digital exam built on data and experiment questions. Where the marks sit, which units carry the weight, and how the FRQs are actually scored.
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ISEF category guide, Part I: the first eleven disciplines
Regeneron ISEF entries compete in one of 22 categories. Part I walks through the first eleven, from Animal Sciences to Energy, with the subcategories under each.
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2027 AP registration information for Korea
Korea’s first 2027 AP registration round opens 10 August through the Fulbright commission. The two windows, the fees, the checks to make first - and when Korea is not worth the trip.
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CHN011 and BTHYSF programme information
The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Youth Science Fair is a new ISEF-affiliated fair, sending ten projects a year to the Regeneron ISEF finals. Eligibility, dates and what the finals award.
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Humanities and social science competition results
Results across IOL, the John Locke Institute essay competition and IHBB, including 57 students through to the IOL national round and 57 John Locke shortlistings in a year with a 17.5% shortlist rate.
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15 students selected for IEO national training teams; CNEC global championship
Hanlin students placed first and second globally as teams at the 2026 IEO final, won the CNEC Quiz Bowl representing China, and took four global golds at SIC.
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A student journey to offers from UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon and Rice
Student H finished her standardised tests in Grade 10, took five AP examinations and reached the USABO semi-final. She reflects on ordering priorities and writing essays.
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Overview of the 2027 AP reforms
The 2027 AP season changes the clock, the papers and several syllabuses at once: seven time-zone papers, two new career-oriented subjects, and a rebuilt AP Statistics.
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Four AP scores of 5 achieved in Grade 8
Student E studies at Stanford Online High School. In Grade 8 she took four AP examinations and scored 5 in all of them, reached USACO Silver, and taught herself Python from the age of eight.
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Preparing academic English for an international-school transition
Moving from the state system to an international school changes what English is for. A summer plan: an hour of listening a day, academic vocabulary, spoken output, and one book worth annotating.
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A student experience at Shanghai Concordia Gubei
A current student’s account of SUIS Gubei: why she chose IB over A-Level, what the entrance test was like, and the everyday texture of the school - published with her permission.