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A Levels EASIER than GCSEs???

Is it just me that finds AS-Levels easier than GCSEs were.
Let me elaborate, at GCSEs, you are required to do 10+ different subjects, with no free periods, and the subjects you take for the most part are compulsory (Maths, english, sciences etc.) My life was a mess during GCSEs, i was so stressed trying to cope with 15+ exams, half of which i had no interest in. I came out with okay grades; 7Bs, 1A and 1C.


Now, at A-levels, I'm finding life so much easier, i can cope with homework, revision, etc. because i have more free periods and the subjects i take i have a genuine interest in. I'm expecting to get 3As and 1B in Business, Economics Maths and PE. I was predicted all Cs as my *aspirational targets (90th percentile ALPS ********)* based off what i got at GCSEs, however i am much better at AS-levels than i was at GCSE, i felt like GCSE exams were pointless and not a measure of intelligence/education at all.

Does anybody else share the same view as me or did everyone else prefer doing 10 GCSEs over doing 4 AS levels?

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Reply 1
no.
It makes so much sense to me yet I've been hearing how sixth formers cannot deal with the amount of work they receive..
I'm doing GCSE's currently and i agree with you GCSE's are a waste of time. This is because GCSE's do not test your understanding of the course, but you ability to retain knowledge. You are also weighed down, as you rightly said, with subjects you do not want to do. However GCSE's does separate out those who can be bothered to work and those who can't, but that is about it.
i think u need sum rest. as is much much harder dan gcse btw.
Original post by cdaniels2011
It makes so much sense to me yet I've been hearing how sixth formers cannot deal with the amount of work they receive..


This could be because it is about your perspective. If you have been use to doing 10+ subjects then doing 4 subjects is obviously going to feel easier. However if you move from lower sixth to upper sixth then you are going from 4 subjects down to 3 (sometimes doing 4 but not very often). However you are gaining work due to your exams and teachers trying to finish the course, also the material tends to be harder in A2
Original post by Neal.Caffery
I'm doing GCSE's currently and i agree with you GCSE's are a waste of time. This is because GCSE's do not test your understanding of the course, but you ability to retain knowledge. You are also weighed down, as you rightly said, with subjects you do not want to do. However GCSE's does separate out those who can be bothered to work and those who can't, but that is about it.


Not necessarily, it also test you ability to apply your knowledge and problem solving, not all questions are about knowledge
Thanks for sharing how good A-level life is for you when amongst a society of stressed people in exam season. It's nice to know you're chill lol great stuff =P
I don't find them easier. In fact it's actually a higher workload for me and the subjects are fairly bulky. Biology for example has had more content added and is examined so irritatingly. But meh I guess everyone has their own thoughts.
I think part of the problem with GCSEs is that the examiners are rather unpredictable, not just in their marking but also the exam setting.

For example, in English language papers at AQA, they tell you to analyse structure in mark schemes, yet when they come in to train the teachers in teaching the course, they say this won't get any marks and you shouldn't do it at all!
Original post by theBranicAc
Not necessarily, it also test you ability to apply your knowledge and problem solving, not all questions are about knowledge


Yes but GCSE are not viewed by the marks you get but by the grades. It is true that in some questions, particularly the longer ones you need to apply your knowledge, however with the addition of course work and if you are able to retain information you tend to beable to write a half decent answer to the questions which are asking you to apply your knowledge. Because of this someone who has applied their knowledge and someone who as gone a way and just learnt masses of information could end of getting the same grade even though there marks are wildly different on the exam
Original post by emmald583
I think part of the problem with GCSEs is that the examiners are rather unpredictable, not just in their marking but also the exam setting.

For example, in English language papers at AQA, they tell you to analyse structure in mark schemes, yet when they come in to train the teachers in teaching the course, they say this won't get any marks and you shouldn't do it at all!


To get into the top level on the AQA mark schemes you need to have an "appreciation of the writers craft" meaning you would need to include the structure of the text in your answer
For me AS is miles more complicated than GCSE, and there's so much more to know as well :s-smilie: I think it's because at GCSE the spec would always be specific in what it required of you, so there would only be so much to learn, whilst at AS and A2 there's no point at which you can confidently say you know anything.
Original post by Neal.Caffery
To get into the top level on the AQA mark schemes you need to have an "appreciation of the writers craft" meaning you would need to include the structure of the text in your answer


I'm talking about Q4 on the English language paper, in which the question specifically states you should only analyse language - sometimes, they put structure points in the mark scheme yet still advise teachers that they won't be credited?
Original post by Neal.Caffery
Yes but GCSE are not viewed by the marks you get but by the grades. It is true that in some questions, particularly the longer ones you need to apply your knowledge, however with the addition of course work and if you are able to retain information you tend to beable to write a half decent answer to the questions which are asking you to apply your knowledge. Because of this someone who has applied their knowledge and someone who as gone a way and just learnt masses of information could end of getting the same grade even though there marks are wildly different on the exam


I don't understand what you mean, you need the marks to get the grades, so how can it be viewed by your grades?

And also the person who applied their knowledge is will be the smarter one in the long run. For example, if they came across a questions which they haven't learnt about the person can just apply their knowledge, where the other person would have no answer.
Original post by socialdisaster
For me AS is miles more complicated than GCSE, and there's so much more to know as well :s-smilie: I think it's because at GCSE the spec would always be specific in what it required of you, so there would only be so much to learn, whilst at AS and A2 there's no point at which you can confidently say you know anything.

I think you can never confidently know anything,weather than be GCSE, A-levels or university because subjects are always expanding and changing. However the work although maybe be more complexed there is less of it.
I think I know what you mean man >.<. Doing 8+ subjects and jumping from Citizenship to Bio was so draining and boring. Not to mention the teachers pestering me to stay in for coursework until like 6pm with no food breaks since about lunch time, as well as the inability to go outside school from 8:30 till 3+. I really liked my AS year. It was probably my favorite school year, which is somewhat ironic considering last gcse year was probably the worst year of my life -_-.
(edited 7 years ago)
I didn't revise for a single one of my GCSEs yet still got A's-C's

I've been revising my butt of for my AS levels yet find it so hard :frown:
Original post by theBranicAc
I don't understand what you mean, you need the marks to get the grades, so how can it be viewed by your grades?

And also the person who applied their knowledge is will be the smarter one in the long run. For example, if they came across a questions which they haven't learnt about the person can just apply their knowledge, where the other person would have no answer.


What you are saying is perfectly true. In the long run those who have the ability to apply knowledge will do better. However because your marks do not matter but your grades do, with course work, in effect you have the ability to manipulate the grade boundaries. For example.
In my DT:systems and control course work I got a low A*, because of this instead of having to get roughly 85% in the exam I now only need roughly 80% although this is not a big change, if for some reason I could not apply my knowledge I could miss the entirety of question 4 out and just regurgitate my knowledge of particular systems without applying my knowledge and still get an A*. Whereas someone who could apply there knowledge could get a beautiful answer for question 4, score 20/20 however drop marks on question 3 where you have to regurgitate information about particular designers. This means we wopuld both end up with an A* but we have approached the course in different ways.
Original post by Neal.Caffery
I think you can never confidently know anything,weather than be GCSE, A-levels or university because subjects are always expanding and changing. However the work although maybe be more complexed there is less of it.


When I was revising for science GCSE I just copied down the spec because that was the extent of what was needed. There was nothing else I needed to learn after that, but at AS the spec is so vague and unhelpful that half the time I don't know if what I'm learning is even remotely relevant.
Original post by socialdisaster
When I was revising for science GCSE I just copied down the spec because that was the extent of what was needed. There was nothing else I needed to learn after that, but at AS the spec is so vague and unhelpful that half the time I don't know if what I'm learning is even remotely relevant.


This is what the consensus appears to be. GCSEs are harder simply because of the work load us students are under. However although it appears to be easier time wise at a levels the course content is harder, particularly for those who struggle to apply their knowledge.

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