The Student Room Group

Should Scotland introduce an A* Grade?

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(edited 4 years ago)

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Reply 1
We already have it?

A1 is generally >85%. A2 70% - 85%.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 2
If it hasn't already got it then yes
Reply 3
Universities are free to ask for your bands if they want to use them in their decision. Some do, most don't.

You are also free to mention it in your application if you think it will help.

If you want to know your bands just ask your school or send off a DPA request to the SQA. Point is they do exist though.
(edited 11 years ago)
Universities will often see your band, and the ones who expect A* from A Level pupils will almost definitely see them, thus we kind of already have the A* grade :smile:

I'd really like to see the SQA start printing the grades with the band on your certificate, so instead of "A" it would be "A1", "A2" etc, or at least allow you to see them through mySQA!
Reply 5
They do exist and they shouldn't be on your certificate as it will just lead to grade inflation and universities requiring even higher grades.

I have an offer to an English uni for A1A1A at advanced higher so it does exist, even though it can't be officially proven. If it was an official grade at higher and advanced higher, then it would mean a complete review and overhaul of the SQA, UCAS tariffs and uni entrance requirements.

SG/Int.2's don't actually matter so there is no need, an A is an A.
Reply 6
Original post by AeroLB
They do exist and they shouldn't be on your certificate as it will just lead to grade inflation and universities requiring even higher grades.


Why shouldn't universities be able to differentiate between high A and low A candidates? Without bands the person with 70% has the same application as the person with 100% even though one of them didn't know almost a third of the course.

It's not like the number of uni places will shrink, they'll just go to more deserving candidates.
Reply 7
Original post by mimx
Why shouldn't universities be able to differentiate between high A and low A candidates? Without bands the person with 70% has the same application as the person with 100% even though one of them didn't know almost a third of the course.

It's not like the number of uni places will shrink, they'll just go to more deserving candidates.


Higher entrance requirements will push so many excellent candidates out of a place, high grades doesn't necessarily mean more deserving.

It means more emphasis will be put on extremely high grades rather than other attributes. Anyway, there is no way the A* would be needed for entry into Scottish universities, English maybe, but not Scottish as entry requirements are in general pretty low.
Reply 8
In terms of uni applications I don't think it matters as the advanced highers are there to show who are the top applicants.

But in general an A* for highers would be good.
Reply 9
Original post by NR09
In terms of uni applications I don't think it matters as the advanced highers are there to show who are the top applicants.



Do you mean an A* wouldn't differentiate people because there are already very few people getting As? Because the A area at AH is huge.

As to OP-I think the current banding is fine. But mebbe I'm just nostalgic...
Reply 10
Original post by AeroLB
Higher entrance requirements will push so many excellent candidates out of a place, high grades doesn't necessarily mean more deserving.


That's up to the university. There are so many candidates per place that there will be plenty that are practically indiscernible. Lots of people have 5 As and an all right personal statement. Right now the way universities choose between such candidates is random chance. Why is that better than using the bands?


Original post by AeroLB
Anyway, there is no way the A* would be needed for entry into Scottish universities, English maybe, but not Scottish as entry requirements are in general pretty low.


I don't understand. You claim to be worried that universities will up their entry requirements, but now you're saying there's no way they'll up their entry requirements?


Original post by AeroLB
It means more emphasis will be put on extremely high grades rather than other attributes.


Which attributes do you think are more important than academic performance?
Reply 11
Ok, I'll make my point a bit clearer.

There is no need for an A* in SQA system. There are no courses in the Scottish University system that NEED candidates to have secured 85% + in an exam.

If the A* were to be introduced, then the system would be regarded at equivalent to GCSE/AS/A2 Level (even though we know it is not equivalent, but try persuading an English school/uni any differently) and the entrance requirements to ENGLISH universities would increase to include these A* at AH, which would be unfair as this is NOT equivalent to A* at A-level.

Universities don't choose to give offers to similar candidates - thats why there are interviews and personal statements, where, surely if you are truly interested in your subject, it will show by means of work experience/interests.
Reply 12
OK, but there are lots of people interested in their courses and lots 'deserving' of a university place based on just the bog standard grades and all the other stuff. But that doesn't solve the problem of how universities are supposed to discriminate between two candidates who are at the same level on the basic info... they both love their subject, they both did great at interview, etc, etc, etc.

Why on earth wouldn't they use bands in such a situation?
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 13
Original post by AeroLB
Ok, I'll make my point a bit clearer.

There is no need for an A* in SQA system. There are no courses in the Scottish University system that NEED candidates to have secured 85% + in an exam.

If the A* were to be introduced, then the system would be regarded at equivalent to GCSE/AS/A2 Level (even though we know it is not equivalent, but try persuading an English school/uni any differently) and the entrance requirements to ENGLISH universities would increase to include these A* at AH, which would be unfair as this is NOT equivalent to A* at A-level.

Universities don't choose to give offers to similar candidates - thats why there are interviews and personal statements, where, surely if you are truly interested in your subject, it will show by means of work experience/interests.


Some english unis ask for A1s already. Pretty reasonable really, as for top courses, an A is not that much of a discriminator.
Reply 14
(S)he knows, I think (s)he's applied there :tongue:

I agree that English unis don't have a clue about our qualifications though. Well most of them don't.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 15
Original post by mimx
(S)he knows, I think (s)he's applied there :tongue:

I agree that English unis don't have a clue about our qualifications though. Well most of them don't.


In fairness, I think the difficulty of AHs is a bit overrated by people in Scotland quite frequently. To my mind, the main disparity in results is to do with provision for teaching of both, rather than difficulty of course. Of course, modularisation of A levels is pretty helpful there.
Reply 16
Doesn't really matter if it's harder or easier or why it might be either, just that it's not the same.

Ideally they'd pick a percentile based on % score and apply it across all qualifications in the ballpark for entry.

It's probably way worse if you're an international, you must get a lot of silly offers. I imagine for many countries they just guestimate it.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 17
Original post by mimx
Doesn't really matter if it's harder or easier or why it might be either, just that it's not the same.

Ideally they'd pick a percentile based on % score and apply it across all qualifications in the ballpark for entry.

It's probably way worse if you're an international, you must get a lot of silly offers. I imagine for many countries they just guestimate offers.


I suppose for the most part they don't really understand. I mean, I knew a guy who got an AA offer for maths at Warwick(ludicrously low really). IB I think gets it pretty bad, but some of the international stuff is rubbish, yeah.
Reply 18
Original post by Slumpy
I suppose for the most part they don't really understand. I mean, I knew a guy who got an AA offer for maths at Warwick(ludicrously low really). IB I think gets it pretty bad, but some of the international stuff is rubbish, yeah.


I don't know whether it's ok to be upset with them about it though. I'm not sure how many Scottish students apply down South what with the fees and all. If it's a considerable number then yeah it would be nice of them to look into it.

But for other countries from which maybe one guy every three years applies, I'm not sure they'll have the resources to investigate what a 'good' set of results is. So they get ridiculously hard or ridiculously easy offers.
Reply 19
We already have A band 1 and A band 2, etc.

The strange thing is that the student is never really TOLD what their bands are - maybe this has changed now, but it wasn't the case when I sat my highers in 2006.

The first I knew what bands I got was when I got into uni and they were on the online system. I never received it on my certificates from the SQA, my teachers never told me (apparently the school is informed, but not me?), etc.

So, if it hasn't already been done, then the bands should become more prominent than they are - they should appear on all certificates, and it should be common knowledge that they exist. But they already exist and don't need to be introduced.

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