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Are exams getting easier?

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Reply 140
Original post by Jimbo1234
:giggle: You are aware that recent studies have shown me to be right?
Just go grab some past papers and have a look yourself.
Or are you honestly saying that all of todays kids are now geniuses due to living on facebook and having sex at a younger age?


if you are talking about papers from 5/6 years ago i've found that past papers have been much easier??

however if you are talking about past papers further back you have to consider that the people doing these papers were taught a different syllabus and so would be seem as normal difficulty for them (or at least at a difficulty that they would have practiced regularly at). so your argument should be that the course content has been getting easier rather than the exams (which just reflect the course content).

also whether someone has sex (which was also a thing that happened 'back then') or not is not relevant
Reply 141
Original post by stefl14
What a load of ****. Exams five years ago were not any harder than they were today. Exams 10 years ago were no more difficult either (at least in maths). The difference these days is that a lot more people strive for the really high percentages as it is more important to make yourself stand out.


Specifically for maths based subjects... I think the claim that the exams are getting easier are stupid, the thing is that there are now lots more past papers to practice hence the student feels more prepared for the exam and know specifically what will come up whereas in 2005 people had to learn everything to scratch and interpret the Q'S they were given

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-N7000
Original post by -aimz
They've changed, not necessarily got harder or easier. Now, knowing what the examiner wants is half the battle of doing the exam.


SO SO SO SO SO SO SO TRUE! I think mark schemes should be less picky, and exam questions less repetitive so that only true knowledge and application of this knowledge gets rewarded AND NOT MARK SCHEME MEMORISATION
Reply 143
Original post by Jimbo1234
:giggle: You are aware that recent studies have shown me to be right?
Just go grab some past papers and have a look yourself.
Or are you honestly saying that all of todays kids are now geniuses due to living on facebook and having sex at a younger age?


bull****, there's no real difference in chemistry/physics/maths/further maths 5 years ago. I've done the past papers... I would know. Im talking over decades, not 5 years
Original post by poyyo
if you are talking about papers from 5/6 years ago i've found that past papers have been much easier??

however if you are talking about past papers further back you have to consider that the people doing these papers were taught a different syllabus and so would be seem as normal difficulty for them (or at least at a difficulty that they would have practiced regularly at). so your argument should be that the course content has been getting easier rather than the exams (which just reflect the course content).

also whether someone has sex (which was also a thing that happened 'back then') or not is not relevant


Well seeing that the course content was greater (yes, greater as many of the courses simply had more to learn), you had to learn more which does make the exam harder due to the range of questions you had to prepare for or to learn more facts.

My point about fbook and sex is that it is clear that kids are far from smart nowadays and by no means have they become smarter which stefl14 was implying. To achieve 90% 5 years ago means you were one of few in the country and would go on to excel in your degree (eg receive awards from Oxford for being best student at the subject). Now the number of students being eligible for these awards has not increased, thus the students who now achieve 90%+ are clearly not geniuses.
I hope so.

I put in hardly any effort in my A-levels and got almost 100% in English Literature without reading the books that much. You shouldn't be able to do that. I deserved a C at most.
Reply 146
Original post by Amos36
Well said; just to add further to my rant earlier.

Of course we all work hard, nobody's denying that. But it's probably quite right to say that exams are easier today than they were say fifteen or twenty years ago.

But work hard and you'll do well, that's my motto, no matter what you want to do in life. Good luck with the exams "diggy", if that is your real name... :wink:


A silly nickname some girl gave me :colondollar:

In all fairness exams are getting easier I can't deny that but some exams ie. English Lit are still quite challenging

But with the added factors of past papers they are extremely easy

where would we be without past papers ? :smile:
Original post by desijut
bull****, there's no real difference in chemistry/physics/maths/further maths 5 years ago. I've done the past papers... I would know. Im talking over decades, not 5 years


Sure thing boss. :rolleyes:
Exams have slowly become easier. Fact.
Reply 148
I'd also like to add that the papers from 2007 for GCSE were extremely easy compared to todays
Reply 149
Original post by craig12
If anyone has done AQA Biology unit 4, they'll know what I mean when I say, most of the exam is unrelated to knowledge actually needed =/ So I suppose in that aspect exams have become harder.


Those goddamn shrews...
Reply 150
Original post by Jimbo1234
Sure thing boss. :rolleyes:
Exams have slowly become easier. Fact.


You must be trolling... The link said GCSE Bio, GCSE Chem and A level Geography are easier.

But yes over time exams have got easier, but not Maths and Science A level. They've stayed the same over the last 10 years. But were harder before that. I think the problem is that there are so many exam boards. If there was one exam board it would be fine. I think that some exam boards intentionally make the exam easier so that more schools sit their exams
Original post by diggy
I'd also like to add that the papers from 2007 for GCSE were extremely easy compared to todays


Bull****! I do GCSEs and the past papers are at the same difficulty from then till today.

I can say I have noticed them t be slightly easier so exams are possibly getting harder form their ease at GCSE (who knows) but there is no remarkable difference in standards 5 years ago at all!
Reply 152
Original post by Jimbo1234
Well seeing that the course content was greater (yes, greater as many of the courses simply had more to learn), you had to learn more which does make the exam harder due to the range of questions you had to prepare for or to learn more facts.

My point about fbook and sex is that it is clear that kids are far from smart nowadays and by no means have they become smarter which stefl14 was implying. To achieve 90% 5 years ago means you were one of few in the country and would go on to excel in your degree (eg receive awards from Oxford for being best student at the subject). Now the number of students being eligible for these awards has not increased, thus the students who now achieve 90%+ are clearly not geniuses.


well i don't think kids are smarter nowadays nor were they smarter a few decades ago, however kids today have more resources (eg past papers online, revision guides, videos etc) which therefore allows more to achieve 90%+. if kids had these resources back then than i'm sure there also would have been more people achieving 90% (at least from what my parents tell me)

people nowadays do actually still get awards for being the best at a subject, a family friend of mine does medicine at cambridge and was awarded for topping the class (and he got AAAAA at a-levels [this was before A*]). my point being that geniuses are not overshadowed

the standards are also different, for example someone back then getting AAA would be considered extremely intelligent, while today it would be something like A*A*Aa

yeah people who get 90% today are not geniuses, but the standards they have to work against are much higher due to there being more applicants to uni compared to a few decades ago, where BBC grades could get you into a top uni. so there is a compromise there
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by desijut
You must be trolling... The link said GCSE Bio, GCSE Chem and A level Geography are easier.

But yes over time exams have got easier, but not Maths and Science A level. They've stayed the same over the last 10 years. But were harder before that. I think the problem is that there are so many exam boards. If there was one exam board it would be fine. I think that some exam boards intentionally make the exam easier so that more schools sit their exams


Those where the only ones reviewed, so what about the rest? :redface: Also, "The A-level chemistry review found the exams had become easier between 2003 and 2008, as the questions were structured differently", so not just GCSE as you claim.

But yes, multiple exam boards has made education worse as teachers chose which exam board is easier over quality of content.



Original post by poyyo
well i don't think kids are smarter nowadays nor were they smarter a few decades ago, however kids today have more resources (eg past papers online, revision guides, videos etc) which therefore allows more to achieve 90%+. if kids had these resources back then than i'm sure there also would have been more people achieving 90% (at least from what my parents tell me)

people nowadays do actually still get awards for being the best at a subject, a family friend of mine does medicine at cambridge and was awarded for topping the class (and he got AAAAA at a-levels [this was before A*]). my point being that geniuses are not overshadowed

the standards are also different, for example someone back then getting AAA would be considered extremely intelligent, while today it would be something like A*A*Aa

yeah people who get 90% today are not geniuses, but the standards they have to work against are much higher due to there being more applicants to uni compared to a few decades ago, where BBC grades could get you into a top uni. so there is a compromise there


Sorry, that is such crap.
You could only achieve 90%+ if you were a genius who would walk into Oxbridge then proceed to get a distinction. Past papers did not help to achieve such high marks because the questions were utterly unique and could only be answered with a perfect understanding of the question.
If past papers are helping people achieve better results, then this means exams are now tailored to remembering how to decode a question, not understand it.

Pressure is greater, but the exams are easier, and lets not forget, the introduction of AS and A2's which also made it far easier which people seem to overlook.
Reply 154
Original post by Jimbo1234
Those where the only ones reviewed, so what about the rest? :redface: Also, "The A-level chemistry review found the exams had become easier between 2003 and 2008, as the questions were structured differently", so not just GCSE as you claim.

But yes, multiple exam boards has made education worse as teachers chose which exam board is easier over quality of content.


Didnt see that.

I honestly dont know where they're coming from with that. I've done old chem papers from around 2003 and there only subtle differences between it and the current paper
Original post by desijut
Didnt see that.

I honestly dont know where they're coming from with that. I've done old chem papers from around 2003 and there only subtle differences between it and the current paper


You will be amazed at how much difference subtle changes can make. Just by rearranging the question or changing the parts to a question can make it far easier.
Reply 156
Original post by Jimbo1234
You will be amazed at how much difference subtle changes can make. Just by rearranging the question or changing the parts to a question can make it far easier.


I was scoring similar percentages in both papers, old and new
Reply 157
Original post by KiwiBerry
Not if you do A level OCR biology or chemistry :frown:


You folks doing OCR A chemistry have it easy. Try doing OCR B Salters. Then you have a right to complain.
Reply 158
Original post by Jimbo1234
You will be amazed at how much difference subtle changes can make. Just by rearranging the question or changing the parts to a question can make it far easier.


i found that the earlier papers were more straightforward while the more recent ones, while still similar, had more less standard and slightly trickier questions (though the difference is small and i've really only noticed this in maths)

Original post by Jimbo1234
Sorry, that is such crap.
You could only achieve 90%+ if you were a genius who would walk into Oxbridge then proceed to get a distinction. Past papers did not help to achieve such high marks because the questions were utterly unique and could only be answered with a perfect understanding of the question.
If past papers are helping people achieve better results, then this means exams are now tailored to remembering how to decode a question, not understand it.

Pressure is greater, but the exams are easier, and lets not forget, the introduction of AS and A2's which also made it far easier which people seem to overlook.


hence the reason some boards have been increasing the difficulty to prevent this and make it more about understanding than memory (eg aqa for maths)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/michael-gove-get-set-for-new-age-of-exam-failures-7282725.html

i don't understand your point about the introduction of AS and A2
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 159
Definitely!

Ever since the introduction of A*.

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