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For those on Access this year

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jojospacemunky

Me and a few on my access course at college are quite confused with the credit / grading system as some of us just need a overall pass on the course to meet the conditions of our offers for Uni's but we arent being given credits we get Pass/Merit/Distinction in our coursework and exams so i have for example from semester one obtained for my modules overall were -
2 x pass
1 x distinction
and one other module is dependant on me passing the exam resit next week

i have 1 x merit and 1 x distinction in Open Forum so far with 4 reports awaiting marking i only need to submit 7 throughout the year

and i have the lvl 2 for unit one of study skills part (with three more units at lvl 3 still to complete though one of these is almost finished)

and the long study 3000 word which i have already done 1600 words on and its not due in till May.

I would talk to your tutor, and then your chosen uni. This is the first year that the grading system has been implemented so its expected that there will be some confusion.

I had to ask and ask again for my uni to confirm my offer, get Merits in Physics and Higher Maths.

Reply 21

Stettin

The teachers are terrible. Out of all of them only 2 are decent. Some of the others speak with such a thick accent that it's hard to understand. One of them likes to be funny and the others look like they don't even want to teach. Just waiting for retirement.

The grading system is a nightmare. Some of the people in the classes are meant to get Distinctions to meet their offers and they can't because even the teachers aren't sure which is distinction.

The sheer incompetency has left a lot of student disillusioned and some have drop out. Some are feeling like they want to drop out.

Me personally. I stopped caring if I was getting pass,merit or distinction. I just aim for a pass.

Reply 22

jojospacemunky

Nebulae42

i did contact my uni i am going to they dont do the new system ie pass merit distinction stuff i just have to get 60 credits ie 45 at level 3 15 level 2 and above

and tutor said we all should be on course for 30 credits from last semester already.

Reply 23

kiss_me_now9

I kinda wish I'd done A levels in a year through the OU or something. Still, it'll get me where I want to go :smile:

Reply 24

Isis Black

I am on the access social science and humanities at Loughborough college and on the whole i am loving it bar sociology so i have given that up and taken on extra Biology units that i am really enjoying!
I have accepted a place at Uni Of Leicester to start in September so i just need to pass this course!

Reply 25

loomer

Im doing Access Humanities and Social Sciences (want to study English at uni.)

To be honest I haven't found the course particularly challenging at all so far.

One of the things I have noticed about this course is there is such a wide range of abilities which can be both a blessing and a curse. Its great that everyone is given an equal opportunity but at the same time I feel that people who are perhaps struggling with the work are holding others back as we constantly have to go over the same things again and again.

Would I do this course again? I'm not sure. I'm finding that a lot of universities do not think of access too highly and I'm concerned its not sufficiently preparing me for uni either. I think 1 year intensive A levels would have been more useful for me personally.

Reply 26

common-hope

loomer

Hey, I am studying Access to Humanities and Social Science too. I'm applying for History.

I think it does depend on the college that you attend as every access course is different. I go to Bromley College and I feel what your saying about universities reaction to Access. My access course is more like uni. We have huge classes, which are basically lectures, and are expected to read relevant material to complete our work. Like you, I get distinctions on all my work. Its so annoying when you know what your capable of and the universities discriminate to Access students. It all seems like you can't proove your worth. :banghead:

But I know that I have something that many A* A level students don't have- Life experiance- I have fought hard to get to where I am now, I have done it by myself and it has not been easy.

I am sure that you will acheive what you are capable of regardless of these universities who refuse to instigate equality in their admissions. :yep:

You know your own worth dude. :smile:

Reply 27

Summer241

I'm doing Access to nursing. I am enjoying the course, but I am finding it challenging sometimes.

I'm feeling a bit disheartened about the grading, it does seem like different teachers grade differently. In two subjects I've had straight merits the whole way through, in another I've had one distinction and all the rest just passes :frown:

I'm trying so hard and I just can't get my grades any better in that subject (psychology) - though it's my least favourite subject so maybe that's why.

A pass is a pass, so I should be happy, but it would be nice to get higher grades. My entry requirement for uni is just to pass the Access course :smile:

Reply 28

common-hope

The problem with these grading systems, which produce such a high level of variation between what consitutes a pass and a distinction per subject, is due to the fact that it is really down to the tutors own discression.
I think that the criteria should be based on some sort of percentage system, which would be fairer rather then:

Pass- Criteria met
Merit: A very good insight
Distinction: An excellent insight

So basically the tutor can more or less make their own rules. :stupid:

Reply 29

Summer241

common-hope

Exactly, yet they try to make out they're just following set instructions, when we all know it's their own opinion of what constitutes a P/M/D.

I've had feedback comments for a pass that say "excellent insight/thorough knowledge of the subject area", they don't give negative feedback at all - how am I supposed to know how to improve? Or what deserves a better grade in their opinion? It completely baffles me and many others in my classes. You work so hard on an assignment, thoroughly research it, use all the technical language, etc. etc.

Maybe this 'external moderation' they keep talking about will shed some light, and hopefully adjust a few grades?

Reply 30

Isis Black

Some of the things we have been taught is not done at a level yet are important for uni!!! we have been shown how to reference properly that gives us a heads up. Some unis like the course others are not so keen

Reply 31

nick220281

loomer

Hey,

I'm doing a Business and Law Access course and have also found it ridiculously easy.

It has been a useful course to get me back into studying (essays and so-forth) but I have a few concerns about whether it's adequate preparation for uni and think some tough times are ahead.

The course has succeeded in getting me into uni so certainly served its purpose but I think I'm going to get the shock of a lifetime when I start Law at uni :p:

Reply 32

JoeSchmoe

Well I know for a fact that going on to a history degree is going to mean I'll be spending copious amounts of time researching and digging into many books. Have I been doing that on Access? No. I do have a research project to do over easter which is history based but that aside I've been held down by having to take maths, psychology and sociology. Luckily English literature has some history in it and grudgingly I agree that Shakespeare has some historical context to it :smile:

Generally though I think the course could be tailored a lot more to the individual students. For English/History students give them more emphasis on English/History and less on Psychology/Sociology, and vice versa. The Open College Network (OCN) who run the Access seem very unorganised as does my tutor who still hasn't marked some of our study skills assignments from before Christmas.

Reply 33

Sabsbabs1

I'm also doing a social science access, we don't have the p/m/d, we just get a percentage mark which I think is better. The only drama that my class has is that one of the teachers is'nt very good. She hands out sheets of work to read then will show us stuff relating to it on utube and thats it. I just sit there thinking i could be at home watching/reading this.

Reply 34

sjholland87

I'm doing a humanities access course and I am finding it a little too easy if I'm going to be honest but that might be down to only having to pass to get to uni.

Have had a few dramas. Mostly before christmas when an assignment had to be due in but I had been off for 5 fridays before hand (friday is the day of the lessons) so when it came to writing the assignment, I was at a mental block and just wrote any old crap down in the hope I would scrape a pass. I didn't and I am still none the wiser of what to write in it because the teacher always tells me "oh it's on blackboard pick it up from there" so I am thinking of putting it off until I have all the others in.

I have passed everything else with at least merit so it's not too bad. Even a timed essay for health which I honestly thought I had failed!

It seems that on our course, the teachers are far too lenient when it comes to attendance. There have been people off for weeks that suddenly come back in for a day and then dissapear again but there are others (myself included) who get absolutley b*******d for not being in for one day even if we have informed them that we wont be in.

The one thing I have to say is that the "Us & Them" thing between the groups of students doesn't happen like it did when I was studying a few years ago. everyone speaks to everyone and it's far more relaxing. Especially when you have a couple of jokers, yeah i'm one of them, in the group.

Reply 35

chrisoz

This thread dosent exactly fill me with confidence im going through the application process for the social sciences and humanities course at the minute!

Will the social sciences and humanities get me onto IT or spanish? Or even a joint degree in the two? Im struggling to find out and dont want to do the course if i can only get onto a law or nursing degree or some other subject that does not interest me!

Reply 36

jojospacemunky

chrisoz

Humanties will be one if wish to pursue a language course
Business and IT will be the one if wish to pursue a IT course

you are better off speaking to where you will be studying the Access course to ask what pathway is more suited but it is an idea to know which type of degree you wish to pursue prior to going on an Access course as the pathways are designed for that particular area on entry so to speak :smile:

for me im doing Access in Business and IT (with Media Studies as well) and im going to Uni this year to do Events Management i was originally planning to do a degree in Media and Communications but 4 weeks into the Access course i changed my mind so i changed from the Humanties pathway to which i was studying Sociology, English Literature and Media Studies (as you can see i kept the media studies)

Reply 37

kiss_me_now9

chrisoz

Email a few of the unis you're interested in, even the ones that you're not sure about, more than 5 so you can make up your choices if you need to, and ask them - Best and most definitive way.

Call me cynical but our college has been AWFUL with the UCAS side of things and people have been told they don't need things they do etc, so going directly to the unis is something I would always recommend as the initial point of call.