A Level Results tomorrow

[Withdean Wanderer]

Why would I want to tell her they are harder THIS year. That's when she did them. That makes things even worse!!!

I've had a shocker there - but you know what i meant! God, it's a wonder i even got into College

 

[chip]

What a load of drivel. You will find the view that A levels are easier spread right across the country, and if you are opting to pigeonhole it by newspaper (probably a mistake) then also across all broadsheets.

How is it 'sneering' to have the opinion exams are easier? No one saying that has an axe to grind. There exists an enormous body of evidence that is the case. Maybe everyone should just pretend that 50 per cent of the population are now straight A students.

You let down any argument you have (already very weak) with - dare I say it - sneering and flippant references to national service, what's that got to do with education?

In fact your whole post reeks of someone who is actually part of the problem, has kidded themselves/been kidded that the new way is better, and is passing that on to others, flying in the face of all the facts.

I think that may be a bit harsh but I agree with your sentiments.

The standard of achievement in A level maths and physics has demonstrably reduced by at least two grades over the past 15 years to the extent that a first degree in engineering or science is now four years rather than three. I see no reason to believe that it is any different in other subjects.

Modularization is part of the problem as it does not allow the breadth of a discipline to be understood in context or its relationship with other topics to be understood. The assessment of bite size chunks is almost formulaic such that many students who achieve an A grade are unable to answer a question if they have not been prepared for its specific formulation. This is a great disservice to the people taking these exams as it does not allow the more able to be clearly differentiated and falsely raises the expectations of the less able. How on earth can 24% achieve a A grade passes and the results be meaningful?

 

[sir danny cullip]

English Language- A
Law- A
Business and economics- A
PE- A (100% in one module)
Critical thinking (micky mouse subject)- B

 

[the full harris]

4 Grade A at A* Grade and 12 GCSE's all at A Grade.

oopsy.

 

[Uncle C]

You can tell things are desparate when Oxford and Cambridge talk about setting entrance exams of their own

There are so many A grade passes they can no longer sort the wheat from the chaff using the current exam system.

 

[Uncle C]

.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

English Language- A
Law- A
Business and economics- A
PE- A (100% in one module)
Critical thinking (micky mouse subject)- B

Bugger me, didn't have you down as a rocket scientist!

Well done Matt

 

[John Boy]

Bugger me, didn't have you down as a rocket scientist!

Well done Matt

He must of bribed the examiners

Well done Matt

 

[sir danny cullip]

He must of bribed the examiners

Well done Matt

obviously.... Cheers

 

[Publius Ovidius]

You can tell things are desparate when Oxford and Cambridge talk about setting entrance exams of their own

There are so many A grade passes they can no longer sort the wheat from the chaff using the current exam system.

you have issues havent you?

 

[bigc]

Oxford and Cambridge...who needs that elitist crap anyway?

 

[Uncle C]

you have issues havent you?

YEP

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Great coverage in the Argus today

Boys pictured = 5
Girls pictured = 18 (including two posh birds from Roedean "jumping for joy"...!!!)

 

[Albion Rob]

For my money, the problem runs very deep, much deepr than education itself.

I don't know whether exams are getting any harder or not but I do know that no government could afford to a drop in the pass rate now.

Saying the exams are easier, imagine if they were made tougher and then there was an eight per cent fall in the pass rate the following year. This would be seized on immediately by the media. Cue about 500 ill thought out policies and the condemnation of that particular year group as 'a bunch of thickos'.

I think it goes wider than this also. We live in such a weird age. Everything that can realistically be done at the moment has been done. Even if space travel becomes a reality, is it really all thet much of an improvement on the Wright brothers' achievement?

With this in mind we constantly seem to be looking for the best this or the worst that. Every summer we have to have people in about 500 locations with thermometers so we can have "the hottest July ever" and ever winter we need people to get the rulers out and tell us it was "the wettest March since records began".

Why can't we just accept the world for what it is? Sometimes things go well and sometimes they don't.

Again, assuming exams were getting easier, it's now a catch 22 situation because the kids who have gone through the exam system now wouldn't be able to compute the reasons why there was a fall in pass rates!

We can't do anything new any more so we have to keep pushing the boundaries and trying to do things better. No one in power can just put their hands up and say: "Ok, this hasn't gone very well but here's the recovery plan." because they'd be hounded out and would face years in political exile.

We've made a rod for out own backs, I'm afraid.

 

[Robbie G]

I got, at A Level:

Law A
Computing A
Economics A
Maths B

Quick opening of the envelope, congratualtions from my mates, then a sudden outburst of "...a B! What the hell are you playing at, you've failed there!"

October 07 i begin Economics (BA) at Sussex University

Congratulations to everyone else on their results, i hope you got what you wanted

 

[Publius Ovidius]

I tend to go along with that view Rob.

It is very easy these days to rubbish achievements that individuals have done, and our whole society is based on a media that would rather look for a bad story than a good one - as it sells papers.

I can only go from personal experience, however when i took my A levels back in Victorian times, economics as an example, we had one teacher, two textbooks we worked from and occasionally we were given a copy of the FT. we sat four exams, 2 mocks and two finals ( and of sixth form year 1 and year two) If you were ill for the exam, you were stuffed.

Watching my two's progress, they have/had, text books, internet, CD's, DVD's workgroups on the internet to share views, MSN/Yahoo to discuss homework whilst they are doing it with their peers ( and in some cases with their tutors) They do modular coursework which counts for a part of the final exam. If they are ill for the exam, they may already have a decent grade taken into the exam.


If the exams are easier, perhaps its that the students are better prepared?

 

[El Presidente]

What a load of drivel. You will find the view that A levels are easier spread right across the country, and if you are opting to pigeonhole it by newspaper (probably a mistake) then also across all broadsheets.

How is it 'sneering' to have the opinion exams are easier? No one saying that has an axe to grind. There exists an enormous body of evidence that is the case. Maybe everyone should just pretend that 50 per cent of the population are now straight A students.

You let down any argument you have (already very weak) with - dare I say it - sneering and flippant references to national service, what's that got to do with education?

In fact your whole post reeks of someone who is actually part of the problem, has kidded themselves/been kidded that the new way is better, and is passing that on to others, flying in the face of all the facts.

If you can quote me the 'enormous body of evidence' and 'flying in the face of all the facts' then I will happily back down. The research work that has been done indicates that the exams have not become easier, what has changed is that students are awarded their grades on merit, unlike the previous quota system where 30% of 'A' levels had to be failed because that is what it says in the rules

I teach people between 18-30, I think the ones with 3 A's have superb intelligence and dedication, and are reluctant to knock them. My views are based on what I have to encounter on a day to day basis, not sure how that makes me 'part of the problem', although I am not sure what you have narrowed the problem down to.

The percentage of A's is 24%, not 50% as you infer.

As for flippancy, well what else do you expect from one of NSC's resident comics?

 

[Tooting Gull]

A lot of sense there, Albion Rob. The 'rod for our own back' you describe is making it almost impossible to have a sensible discussion on where to go from here. Governments are paralysed by fear of what might be said, how they might be criticised. You could probably say the same for many 'taboo' issues elsewhere in the recent past - Northern Ireland, drugs, Middle East etc etc.

I have been accused of 'sneering' and being a 'self-righteous twat' on this thread (pretty disgraceful) merely for expressing the view that exams being easier doesn't in the long term benefit either the students (some will be disappointed later down the line) or the country. I think that pretty much proves the point that real debate/improvement is out on this topic.

There are a load of people in power, education system or govt, who bizarrely seem to think some young people would be happier going to university only to then work in a call centre on shit money (because that is what is happening in some cases) then being say a trained, respected plumber or carpenter, earning far more money and being much happier.

University isn't the be-all and end-all. It is an appropriate vehicle for some, not for others, mainly depending on your proposed line of work. Forcing everyone in, and artificially creating a set of conditions to do that, is not helping anyone.

 

[El Presidente]

You can tell things are desparate when Oxford and Cambridge talk about setting entrance exams of their own

There are so many A grade passes they can no longer sort the wheat from the chaff using the current exam system.

Part of the issue here is that there are far more 18 year olds taking A levels than before.

If you more than double the number of people taking the exams, improve the standards of teaching, and broaden the sources and methods of study, then the number of Grade A students is going to increase. At the same time Oxbridge has not increased in size at the same rate.

When I was doing A levels in 1980 Cambridge had their own entrance exams, so this is not as big an issue as people make out.