The Student Room Group
Student at the Open University
Open University
Milton Keynes
Visit website

Scroll to see replies

Reply 40
Original post by hmm_what?
You may not be intending to take maths at a higher level but you need to know that MU123 is absolutely not in any way preparation for level 2 maths courses. There's a wide spread in the difficulty of level 1 in order to accommodate people with different levels of experience and some of these modules are meant to be studied sequentially. If you just pick the easy ones not only do you waste your time and money but you also fail to adequately prepare yourself for later study. I fear you're setting yourself up for a fall. :frown:


Obviously thats your opinion, which your entitled to, but at 33 I feel I've made wise choices that suit me, with the help and advice from OU student services.

They are all set at equally accredited levels, so Level 1 courses all have to have the same level of difficulty however, where the inconsistencies come from is the individuals abilities in certain subjects, for example if I was to choose a level 1 French course well................ I would get a fail all the way and find it extremely difficult, but as it happens I am a financial adviser and run my own business, so the subjects I have chosen fit in with my strengths. I am doing the BA (hons) in leadership and management, so I should hope this will fit in with my long term goal and abilities.

As I have said (3 times already) I fully expect level 2 & 3 to get more difficult in my chosen field, and I will NOT FAIL!!!
(edited 13 years ago)
Student at the Open University
Open University
Milton Keynes
Visit website
Reply 41
Original post by kathyowen
so Level 1 courses all have to have the same level of difficulty however, where the inconsistencies come from is the individuals abilities in certain subjects,


MU123 is around GCSE standard and as such is at a lower level than MST121 which is around A-level standard. MU123 is designed to lead on to MST121 yet they're both still level 1 modules! Whether this discrepancy applies to other subjects I don't know but it's very clear there are level 1 maths courses which are woefully inadequate for the step up to level 2 maths. They are not all equal.
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 42
Original post by hmm_what?

Original post by hmm_what?
MU123 is around GCSE standard and as such is at a lower level than MST121 which is around A-level standard. MU123 is designed to lead on to MST121 yet they're both still level 1 modules! Whether this discrepancy applies to other subjects I don't know but it's very clear there are level 1 maths courses which are woefully inadequate for the step up to level 2 maths. They are not all equal.


I'm only repeating what it says on the OU website and what I was told by OU student services (level 1 courses are equivilent to year 1 at uni). I agree that the MST121 is harder than MU123 (although I haven't done MST121) but others have told me the same. However, personally I don't need to do anymore maths than a refresher as I am not going into IT or Mathematics I am doing leadership & management. Therefore I will do what I need to do which is the BU120 & BU130 (these are compulsory) and then a further optional 120 pt at level 1, so not to make things anymore difficult than necessary I choose MU123 and managing in the workplace. I have forgotten algebra, trig and geometry so the MU123 was what was advised, but I know I'll pick it up again fairly quickly as its a subject I love.

So again, I say I haven't set myself up to fail and slightly resent that comment, as isn't not a decision I have taken lightly. I fully intend to be completely commited when I'm doing my level 2&3 but so far level 1 is sraight forward enough.
Reply 43
Original post by kathyowen
However, personally I don't need to do anymore maths than a refresher as I am not going into IT or Mathematics I am doing leadership & management.


Fair enough

Therefore I will do what I need to do which is the BU120 & BU130 (these are compulsory) and then a further optional 120 pt at level 1


Are the full 120 points necessary? Often it's just 70 that's required.

So again, I say I haven't set myself up to fail and slightly resent that comment, as isn't not a decision I have taken lightly. I fully intend to be completely commited when I'm doing my level 2&3 but so far level 1 is sraight forward enough.


I certainly didn't mean to offend you with that comment and it's good that you're prepared for a step or five up for the level two modules. I was just concerned that you could jump into level two study without the background information necessary to succeed. Certainly if you'd intended to do maths at level 2 and only done MU123 then you'd have problems but you're not so it doesn't matter.

Good luck with your studies :smile:
Reply 44
Original post by hmm_what?

Original post by hmm_what?
Fair enough



Are the full 120 points necessary? Often it's just 70 that's required.



I certainly didn't mean to offend you with that comment and it's good that you're prepared for a step or five up for the level two modules. I was just concerned that you could jump into level two study without the background information necessary to succeed. Certainly if you'd intended to do maths at level 2 and only done MU123 then you'd have problems but you're not so it doesn't matter.

Good luck with your studies :smile:


Thanks for your well wishes :smile:

Yes for the BA (Hons) L&M you need 120 at Level 1, TBH I am slightly pleased because it will give me a broad grounding before they go up a gear :smile:
Reply 45
Original post by kathyowen

Original post by kathyowen
Thanks for your well wishes :smile:

Yes for the BA (Hons) L&M you need 120 at Level 1, TBH I am slightly pleased because it will give me a broad grounding before they go up a gear :smile:

You need 120 at level 1, but that includes your compulsory ones. So you have 60 of the 120 being compulsory, and only 60 being optional.
Original post by kathyowen
The level 1 courses don't count which are no more difficult than GCSE's, if even that!


This is very misleading since you generalise about all first level courses.
Your course, MU123, is intended to reintroduce students to study of mathematics - to help them regain study skills and begin to think mathematically.

It's there as part of The Open University's ethos, which is to allow direct access to all undergraduate strands, except where the law or CPD/work experience prevents this (eg, nursing).

As such, MU123 does its job well.

However, to suppose that all level one courses (as per the inference of your words) are no more difficult than GCSEs is wrong.

Show me which exam board covers, as one example, calculus at GCSE (calculus makes up roughly one quarter of the next level one maths course with The Open University - MST121).

From there, you would normally take MS221 which goes beyond further A level maths before beginning maths learning proper - in M208 and MST209.

The OU's courses at level one are structured to provide an accessible gradient which allows students to step up to true level two study.

Was your assumption that level one courses are no more difficult than GCSEs to be correct, there'd be a huge void in learning between MU123 and the analysis, group theory, linear algebra, mechanics, physics, ODEs and PDEs, vector calculus, Fourier series, and extensive mathematical modelling skills needed to complete level two study.

It makes me sad to see these posts - the fact is, The OU provides study which provides a bridge between sub-A level knowledge and the knowledge required to obtain a degree with parity to other universities (course are externally moderated).
Before I started by degree I had a look at some of the reports by the QAA (the people who review education institutions and courses). It stated that there was at times a big gap between the level 1 and level 2 courses, something that the Open University has to deal with.

Other universities will state entry requirements, therefore can expect students to 'hit the ground running'. The OU however has to use level 1 to get students from all backgrounds to the required standard. Which can be difficult. Hence the range of different pathways.

If you are concerned that it is too simple then have a look at some of the Level 2 material on Open Learn:

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=398368&section=1.1

As you can see it does move on quite a bit.

(but don't worry, by the time you get there you will have been taught what you need)
Reply 48
Original post by mart2306
Wow, you have come across someone rejected from the OU.
Must have taken some doing for them to have that happen. The only way I can think of would be to sign up for stuff and fail to complete, same as other universities.


Due to the fact this person says the people in question have already attended other university's I guess they were rejected from postgraduate study at the OU. I believe at undergraduate level, as long as you have the money, any one can get in. If you applied for a level 3 module with no other qualifications and asked for help from OUSBA they might reject that, I don't know.
Reply 49
Original post by dg2009
How do you get rejected from the OU? There are no entry requirements, I'd understand if you'd already done a few courses and failed them, therefore the OU wouldn't let you continue.


I assume this person means rejected from a postgraduate place.
Reply 50
One wouldn't be able to do postgraduate study until they have at least a upper or lower 2nd class or higher.
Reply 51
Original post by Moggs
It is 85% for a pass 1 on a module.

Bear in mind this requires an 85% average on assignments and 85% on the end of module exam. Perfect assignments and 84% on the exam gets you a pass 2. There are exceptions and a few percent leeway if grade boundaries are shifted or there were special circumstances.

For full details of how that's calculated, this PDF should be useful.
http://www.open.ac.uk/student-policies/objects/d3420.pdf


Posting for my daughter who can get no clear answer from OU. She is taking just one module, a requirement of starting a PGCE in September. If she has at least 85% on assignments (OCAS) but gets 55% on the exam component, it is clear she can't get a pass1. BUT is it true that she can ONLY get a grade based on the lower (exam) score i.e. pass3? It looks like her 85+% counts for nothing! is that correct?
We are both confused, even after reading the pdf....:confused:
Reply 52
Original post by MsJinnifer
Posting for my daughter who can get no clear answer from OU. She is taking just one module, a requirement of starting a PGCE in September. If she has at least 85% on assignments (OCAS) but gets 55% on the exam component, it is clear she can't get a pass1. BUT is it true that she can ONLY get a grade based on the lower (exam) score i.e. pass3? It looks like her 85+% counts for nothing! is that correct?
We are both confused, even after reading the pdf....:confused:


Yep, that's pretty much right. You have to get 85+ in both the OCAS and the OES to get a distinction overall. There is some leeway but it's not guaranteed - sometimes the examiners/whoever awards the final grade will adjust it slightly, e.g. I have got a distinction with an 85% OCAS and 80% OES. On the other hand, in M359 I ended up with a grade 3 pass as I got 86% OCAS and only 66% OES. It sucks, but yeah, that's how it generally works.
Reply 53
Original post by MsJinnifer
Posting for my daughter who can get no clear answer from OU. She is taking just one module, a requirement of starting a PGCE in September. If she has at least 85% on assignments (OCAS) but gets 55% on the exam component, it is clear she can't get a pass1. BUT is it true that she can ONLY get a grade based on the lower (exam) score i.e. pass3? It looks like her 85+% counts for nothing! is that correct?
We are both confused, even after reading the pdf....:confused:

Theoretically, to get a particular grade for a module you have to achieve that grade in both OCAS and OES. So, if she got 55% on her exam, then she'd be in line for a Pass 3, and the 85% in her assessments wouldn't count for nothing - she had to pass it, after all - but wouldn't bring her overall mark up. In practice, they do have some discretion in certain circumstances to award students a higher grade for the module if they've achieved higher marks in one component than the other, but I don't know if there's any published information on this.
Reply 54
Thanks Kate and Persipan. She has now had an email saying much what you say Persipan but with no mention of any discretion:
" I can confirm that the Examination and Assessment Board like you to score equally well in both your OCAS and OES components.

Result Grade OCAS OES

1 (Distinction) 85+ 85+
2 or Merit 70+ 70+
3 55+ 55+
4 or Pass 40+ 40+

If you were to score 85 in your OCAS but 55 in your OES your module result would be a Grade 3 Pass, A common error is to add the OCAS and OES scores together and divide by >2 and assume this is the result you should achieve."

It does seem very odd and it would certainly be better if this were made clear at the beginning of the course. They were just told that the elements contribute 50/50. Yes I know there is a pdf, but it is really complicated and this is not a common way of grading I think.
Ah well, she is now getting her head well down. Being a perfectionist, she will be mortified to not do well, but thinks it is impossible now...:frown: I just want it all to be over and the minimum necessary is enough for me! Looking forward to going to Latitude festival together in July as she has had to cancel a festival with me this weekend . More :frown: but it's her decision and I support her...
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 55
Original post by MsJinnifer

It does seem very odd and it would certainly be better if this were made clear at the beginning of the course. They were just told that the elements contribute 50/50. Yes I know there is a pdf, but it is really complicated and this is not a common way of grading I think.

I wish they'd stop saying the 50/50 thing; it's so misleading. Really, each half counts for 100%. And yes, it is a rather idiosyncratic way of doing things.

Good luck to your daughter! I hope she gets everything done soon and can enjoy Latitude with you.
Original post by abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
OU give you 20-25% for writing your name on the answer sheet - how much you get depends on your handwriting. You also get extra marks, above 25%, if your name is particularly hard to spell or you write it in pretty colours


I can assure everyone, this really is not the case, and the higher grades at OU courses can be quite difficult!
Reply 57
Original post by mart2306
Could explain why employers like the OU so much then. Can't say they are dumbing down if its harder can they?

I've met people with a 1st from the OU for their degree. They didn't see it as particularly hard all things considered. I mean working full time and getting a 1st class degree in spare time, how hard can it be?
My wife is finishing her degree off at the OU (3rd year plus any required missed modules), both of us have passed modules with them before. Not amazingly hard - not exactly easy either though.
But it is far, far more down to the individual to study. Not suitable for everyone.


I think because most people who go to normal universities are in their late teens/early twenties. A normal university requires structures and attendance that the OU doesn't. If you're working/studying, you don't have 20+ hours to mess about, and it's easier to maintain a structured lifestyle. Also, up until recently, OU degrees had to be paid for out of your own pocket - I think I know a lot of people at regular universities that would have tried 10x harder if they'd had to scrimp and save to pay for their degree rather than getting a loan.

Massive generalisations, but it's also a generalisation to say that everyone who does the OU finds it easy to juggle working and studying...
Reply 58
Original post by Obbykins
Also, up until recently, OU degrees had to be paid for out of your own pocket - I think I know a lot of people at regular universities that would have tried 10x harder if they'd had to scrimp and save to pay for their degree rather than getting a loan.

Until a couple of years ago, people without a degree and on a lowish income could get the whole thing for free...
Reply 59
Original post by Obbykins
I think because most people who go to normal universities are in their late teens/early twenties. A normal university requires structures and attendance that the OU doesn't. If you're working/studying, you don't have 20+ hours to mess about, and it's easier to maintain a structured lifestyle. Also, up until recently, OU degrees had to be paid for out of your own pocket - I think I know a lot of people at regular universities that would have tried 10x harder if they'd had to scrimp and save to pay for their degree rather than getting a loan.

Massive generalisations, but it's also a generalisation to say that everyone who does the OU finds it easy to juggle working and studying...


Having read this whole forum - I've found it very helpful about what is what.
I seem to be the exception to this rule as I started OU at 18 and to be honest was struggling - I don't have a job at the moment and feel that in order to get the higher grades I'd like to spend all my time on my degree.

OU will always be hard work as you are not at a university and most are working as well as studying.

Latest