A level Revision

[Marc]

instead of studying for my GCSEs all those years ago I went to the BEACH and got DRUNK...next day I got a D in Maths.....teachers predicted I'd get an F before that

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

i barely did ANY revision, and ended up at university


i'm a lazy ****

 

[Scotty Mac]

you CAN'T revise for english language. i discovered this hours before the exam when i tried to, only for it to turn into a mini food fight in the library

still got a b though

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

Oh Yes...sorry

are you feeling better?

Nope, fainted twice this morning!!

 

[Djmiles]

I love it how the vast majority of people who took A levels 20 odd years ago ramble on about how easy A levels are nowadays....how would you know exactly?

I took Maths, Physics and Geography A levels in 2004. Maths and Physics A Levels in particular were bloody impossible, and I'm normally very good at Maths.

 

[Dave the OAP]

I love it how the vast majority of people who took A levels 20 odd years ago ramble on about how easy A levels are nowadays....how would you know exactly?

I took Maths, Physics and Geography A levels in 2004. Maths and Physics A Levels in particular were bloody impossible, and I'm normally very good at Maths.

If that is aimed at me, then that is exactly the opposite of what I am saying.

 

[Djmiles]

If that is aimed at me, then that is exactly the opposite of what I am saying.

No not aimed at you, just in the past I remember reading people claiming that A levels are "easy".

Sorry for the confusion

 

[Dave the OAP]

No not aimed at you, just in the past I remember reading people claiming that A levels are "easy".

Sorry for the confusion

no problem

 

[Uncle C]

I have heard from nearly everyone I have known who's gone onto university that the A level is often a lot harder than the degree.

Well I wasn't going to go there, but seeing as you bought up the topic.

Degrees have also become softer. Many years ago it was outstanding, and a rare achievement, to get a 1st class honours degree.
Not so today, many students achieve it, despite it being a fact that natural evolution could not improve brain power at this astounding rate.

So what does all this mean? It means a profound impacted on the recruitment market for new graduates, to the point where my old Company would only interview those (many students) with 1st class honours.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

SDC

the gap between GCSE and A-Level is much bigger than the gap between A-Level and degree

but, degree involves a lot more free thinking, as you're left to a lot of indipendant study, rather than being "told" what to do

the workload is MUCH more at degree than a-level though(if you want to do well that is)

 

[Uncle C]

I love it how the vast majority of people who took A levels 20 odd years ago ramble on about how easy A levels are nowadays....how would you know exactly?

I know exactly, because the top Universities like Oxford and Cambridge can no longer rely on A level grades as a means of selecting the pupils they will take.

Further screening has to be conducted as 'a' grade passes are so plentiful that they are no longer discriminating of the best students.

Lets hear your facts to prove that A levels are harder?

 

[sir danny cullip]

Well I wasn't going to go there, but seeing as you bought up the topic.

Degrees have also become softer. Many years ago it was outstanding, and a rare achievement, to get a 1st class honours degree.
Not so today, many students achieve it, despite it being a fact that natural evolution could not improve brain power at this astounding rate.

So what does all this mean? It means a profound impacted on the recruitment market for new graduates, to the point where my old Company would only interview those (many students) with 1st class honours.

It's true about the recruitement market for new graduates, totally saturated. As Nick Soames said last month "gone are the days when going to University meant an elite education for an elite student" ....or something along those lines anyway.

 

[sir danny cullip]

you CAN'T revise for english language. i discovered this hours before the exam when i tried to, only for it to turn into a mini food fight in the library

still got a b though

This is very true, English Language is my easiest subject its absolute PISS! There are literally four words I have learned in 2 years and have I think I need about 30% in this exam to get an A!

 

[El Presidente]

SDC


but, degree involves a lot more free thinking, as you're left to a lot of indipendant study, rather than being "told" what to do

......and a degree does not involve having to use a spell checker does it.

Some of the cheating that takes place at Uni is a disgrace though.

 

[Djmiles]

I know exactly, because the top Universities like Oxford and Cambridge can no longer rely on A level grades as a means of selecting the pupils they will take.

Further screening has to be conducted as 'a' grade passes are so plentiful that they are no longer discriminating of the best students.

Lets hear your facts to prove that A levels are harder?

I'm not saying A levels are any harder today than they were 20 years ago, purely because I'm only 19 and would have no idea what A levels were like back then.

What am I saying is that a lot of people who claim A levels are getting easier are normal schmos with no proof what so ever. Every year I read in the news about how people claim the exams are getting easier.

In my 2nd year at College, we were being taught extremely hard integration and difrerentiation methods, and even the teachers got it wrong on occasions. And he told us "Just do the best you can on this exam, because it is extremely difficult and most people struggle to get over 50% in it".....hardly a sign of exams getting easier you would have thought.

But that's just my opinion, I fail to see how A levels have got so much easier over time, when in some exams we were told outright that we weren't going to do very well in it.

And maybe peoples perceptions of A levels have changed with the introduction of so called "easier" subjects like Film Studies, Media Studies etc.

 

[sir danny cullip]

And maybe peoples perceptions of A levels have changed with the introduction of so called "easier" subjects like Film Studies, Media Studies etc.

I cant say anything about film studies but I was usually the first to criticise Media Studies as a mickey mouse subject but my girlfriend does it and she does 10 times more work for media than I do for law/english/PE.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

Well I wasn't going to go there, but seeing as you bought up the topic.

Degrees have also become softer. Many years ago it was outstanding, and a rare achievement, to get a 1st class honours degree.
Not so today, many students achieve it, despite it being a fact that natural evolution could not improve brain power at this astounding rate.

So what does all this mean? It means a profound impacted on the recruitment market for new graduates, to the point where my old Company would only interview those (many students) with 1st class honours.

I think thats very much dependent on what you take. BN(Hons) Adult Nursing certainly aint easy work-wise!!!

 

[reuters]

i hate revision. its all a nightmare, its just so boring.
i suggest take a break and, when its nicer, go for a walk somewhere. it clears your head

 

[Uncle C]

I'm not saying A levels are any harder today than they were 20 years ago, purely because I'm only 19 and would have no idea what A levels were like back then.

What am I saying is that a lot of people who claim A levels are getting easier are normal schmos with no proof what so ever. Every year I read in the news about how people claim the exams are getting easier.

In my 2nd year at College, we were being taught extremely hard integration and difrerentiation methods, and even the teachers got it wrong on occasions. And he told us "Just do the best you can on this exam, because it is extremely difficult and most people struggle to get over 50% in it".....hardly a sign of exams getting easier you would have thought.

But that's just my opinion, I fail to see how A levels have got so much easier over time, when in some exams we were told outright that we weren't going to do very well in it.

And maybe peoples perceptions of A levels have changed with the introduction of so called "easier" subjects like Film Studies, Media Studies etc.

My belief is that exams are easier to pass rather than just easier. Its undeniable that some topics are way ahead of standards many years ago. Whats also undeniable is that the pass rates continue to grow well in excess of people's intelligence.

The conclusion therefore is that you need a lower percentage of correct answers to get the grades, a point supported by your statement that "most people struggle to get over 50%"

 

[sir danny cullip]

My belief is that exams are easier to pass rather than just easier. Its undeniable that some topics are way ahead of standards many years ago. Its also undeniable is that the pass rates continue to grow well in excess of people's intelligence.

The conclusion therefore is that you need a lower percentage of correct answers to get the grades, a point supported by your statement that "most people struggle to get over 50%"

This is true, in PE you need about 80% to get an A whereas in Law you need around 65/70% and the maths grade boundaries are even lower at GCSE and A/AS level.