Why Advanced Highers are harder than A-levels

Poll

What's harder?

Is it just me or does the fact that when sitting an A-level exam you only need to learn one module (unit) at a time undermine the purpose of studying a subject? There's apparently six modules per course, and you get to sit them as individual exams like NABs.

Shouldn't a subject be about making the ties between all the units and examining it in one sitting?

Because you need to study all the units for a single exam at Advanced Higher I feel that it's harder than A-level - you need to remember more stuff at once and don't get to forget about it half-way through the year.

Discuss :biggrin:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Cirsium

There aren't six modules anymore, there are four. Generally people sit the AS in their AS year and the A2 in the A2 year, but you're right there are many exceptions. Making ties between units surely comes under the synoptic paper, and not just because you're taking relatively unrelated units at the same time.

Reply 2

Slumpy

I think it's generally accepted by universities that AH are harder than A-levels.
But hey, it might be down to teaching.

Reply 3

Tha_Black_Shinobi

And your happy about this because. You just took exams which you think are harder and you live in Scotland and you feel this is something you should be proud of

Reply 4

Danielle89

Advanced highers are at a higher level than A-Levels full stop. As far as Im aware, the level of difficulty goes something like

(Least Hard)
Standard Grades
GCSE's
Highers
A Levels
Advanced Highers
(Most hard)

There's not too much difference between advanced and A-Levels but the difference being that Advanced highers are done in 1 year, whereas A-Levels can be split into 2 and the level of knowledge isnt as high. Thats why in the first year of uni doing pharmacy, I found most of the work quite easy, having done advanced maths biology and chemistry, whereas the english students and maybe some ROI students found it harder because they'd not had as high a level of knowledge required for their exams.

Reply 5

Slumpy

Tha_Black_Shinobi

And your happy about this because. You just took exams which you think are harder and you live in Scotland and you feel this is something you should be proud of

I suspect the point is that if they are harder(as I believe), then students who've sat them will feel hard done by if their achievements are considered the same as A-levels, something easier.

Reply 6

Distortion

Bekaboo

I sat 6 this year, do I get to remove 2 from my overall result?

Reply 7

Slumpy

Danielle89

You missed AS levels.

Reply 8

PeterR

Tha_Black_Shinobi

And your happy about this because. You just took exams which you think are harder and you live in Scotland and you feel this is something you should be proud of

I'm just making a point, ideally I'd post it from a neutral perspective but it wasn't possible with this topic.

Reply 9

Danielle89

Slumpy

You missed AS levels.

Im sorry, not familiar with the English system when it comes to dividing A-Levels down into AS levels. I assume they're done the first year of 6th form college and then A-Levels completed in the 2nd year of 6th form? Either way, Advanced Highers are still accepted as higher than A-Levels.

Is it optional to do AS or do you have to do them? If it's optional then I presume they're slightly harder than our Intermediate 2's which people do if they didnt get the standard grades to do the Higher version of the subject?

Reply 10

Slumpy

Danielle89

I did highers and Advanced highers, I know the system :p:

AS is just the name given to the first year of A levels, with A2 being the second year.
The AS modules are (I believe) supposed to be of an easier level than the A2 modules, and approximately the same level as highers.
Although, Ucas points wise, highers outrank them.

Reply 11

Lachlan

Tbh I think that the main reason Advanced Highers are more difficult is the fact that at many school they are practically self-taught. I pretty much self-taught Maths and History this year, got decent teaching for Biology though. They may also have harder course content I don't know. Also there are no resits etc.

Reply 12

Lachlan

Also something like 10% of people get AAA at A-Level while only 3% get AAA at Adv. Higher

Reply 13

Danielle89

Slumpy

I did highers and Advanced highers, I know the system :p:

Ah, ok. I'd assume then that AS modules are about the same level as Int2 or in between Int2 and Higher?

Meh, suppose it doesnt matter too much.

Reply 14

Cirsium

Distortion

I sat 6 this year, do I get to remove 2 from my overall result?

Reply 15

Tha_Black_Shinobi

Slumpy

I suspect the point is that if they are harder(as I believe), then students who've sat them will feel hard done by if their achievements are considered the same as A-levels, something easier.

Dunno. I wouldn't feel hard done by anything as long as I get into the uni that I wanted to. I think that A levelers should feel hard done by with the constant bellitlement of our achievements

Reply 16

munn

Lachlan

Also something like 10% of people get AAA at A-Level while only 3% get AAA at Adv. Higher

personally i think that's more to do with the fact that a lot of the people who are smart enough to get AAA at Adv Higher already have an unconditional to uni and decide yo what's the point.
I know this was the case for myself and many others at school anyway, I was on course for AAA until i got an unconditional then pretty much stopped going to school. If I'd needed the grades I would have probably done it though, as would many of my friends

Reply 17

TheCrackFox

I completely agree that a-levels have become watered down and easier, a linear qualification like the pre-u however would wipe the floor with your advanced highers. :tongue: