Ok...own up! Who played the general Studies Game this morning?

...and what version do you play at your school /college?

Our five phrases were:

'Where have I put my llama?'

'Cheese should be banned.'

'Fish are fishy'.

'I love Dawn.'

'Snorkel coats should be banned at dentists.'

Huh?

theres a game???

OP

Tek

Huh?

All the colleges I know in my area do it...it's to relieve the tedium of sitting A level general Studies when offers explicitly exclude it...

You have to fit a certain number of pre-selected phrases into your answers in as discrete a way as possible. It's not exactly the greatest laugh I've ever had but it creates a bit of hysteria in an otherwise boring exam day. We also sometimes have particular words that you have to try to fit in as much as possible - college record is apparently 'fish', 257 times!

I bet the examiners like marking papers from colleges that do it - it

Reply 4

Ralfskini

10

Musicwoman

All the colleges I know in my area do it...it's to relieve the tedium of sitting A level general Studies when offers explicitly exclude it...

You have to fit a certain number of pre-selected phrases into your answers in as discrete a way as possible. It's not exactly the greatest laugh I've ever had but it creates a bit of hysteria in an otherwise boring exam day. We also sometimes have particular words that you have to try to fit in as much as possible - college record is apparently 'fish', 257 times!

I bet the examiners like marking papers from colleges that do it - it

How is that funny when you can't see the reactions of the examiners? Also, how do you know people actually do this? It is easy to come out of an exam and say 'I wrote fish 257 times' but they probably didn't.

Reply 5

Tina

7

your school/college must be crazy! thats making such a mockery of doing it in the first place...???!!!!!
and i agree with ralfskini how do u know if everyone does it?

Reply 6

fishpaste

Ralfskini

How is that funny when you can't see the reactions of the examiners? Also, how do you know people actually do this? It is easy to come out of an exam and say 'I wrote fish 257 times' but they probably didn't.

You could ask for your paper back, and stick it up on your wall. I think that's an ingenius idea.

Reply 7

Ralfskini

10

fishpaste

You could ask for your paper back, and stick it up on your wall. I think that's an ingenius idea.

Apart from the fact it costs money. :rolleyes:

Reply 8

fishpaste

Ralfskini

Apart from the fact it costs money. :rolleyes:

Not so much. I can think of more expensive entertainment.

Reply 9

Ralfskini

10

fishpaste

Not so much. I can think of more expensive entertainment.

Yes, and that entertainment is likely to be a lot more funny. The fact of the matter is, an examiner is not going to waste his or her time trying to mark a piece of work which is clearly taking the piss, so it's no skin of their backs! The joke will be on the person who wasted their time thinking of unwitty comments which will not even be looked at again.

Reply 10

fishpaste

Ralfskini

Yes, and that entertainment is likely to be a lot more funny. The fact of the matter is, an examiner is not going to waste his or her time trying to mark a piece of work which is clearly taking the piss, so it's no skin of their backs! The joke will be on the person who wasted their time thinking of unwitty comments which will not even be looked at again.

Surely, with positive marking procedures, they have to? Because one sentence might be total rubbish, but the next could be something which meets the criteria.

Reply 11

Ralfskini

10

fishpaste

Surely, with positive marking procedures, they have to? Because one sentence might be total rubbish, but the next could be something which meets the criteria.

Put yourselves in the shoes of an examiner and think about it.

Reply 12

theone

I wonder why this is in the oxbridge sub forum.

Reply 13

MadNatSci

12

My best friend wrote in his exam that everyone who supported a particular way of thinking (can't remember exactly what it was) should be given wax crayons and told to go and play with the other children. Does that count?

He got an A, btw. (Don't you hate people like that??)

Reply 14

Lurker

4

Ralfskini

Put yourselves in the shoes of an examiner and think about it.

Put yourself in the shoes of an examiner who'll get noticed, (and probably fired) if they don't stick to the marking criteria. It's General Studies, and a lot of people only take it because they have to, it's usually not even included in people's University offers. Why shouldn't they have a bit of fun with it?

Reply 15

emzie

i had gen studs this morn! thought i only had paper1! but when i went to skool they said i had 2 aswell - the maths one so me and my head of year jus laughed at my couldnt be botheredness! lol had to borro his caculator becuase i 4got mine. the maths bit was SO hard! lol i iny miny miny moed most of it - i dont do AS maths and i cannot remember a THING from gcse! couldnt do nething wiv formulas i think i got 2/25 for that bit! OH WELL! all fun n games lolololoolllll!!

Reply 16

Musicwoman

OP

Lurker

Put yourself in the shoes of an examiner who'll get noticed, (and probably fired) if they don't stick to the marking criteria. It's General Studies, and a lot of people only take it because they have to, it's usually not even included in people's University offers. Why shouldn't they have a bit of fun with it?

Having some sport with the General Studies exam is a long standing tradition in my college and other colleges in the area talk about their variations on the theme. In my college we HAVE to do it, even though it's not included in offers. We still do the exam seriously(ish)...the trick is to include as much as you can subtly.

There's a board up in our common room with contributions from years past. I grant you the 'World Record' is an urban myth.

Many people at our college think GS is a complete wast of time but we HAVe to turn up and take it otherwise we are charged. I'm genuinely surprised that people are being so superior about it - I thought that childish fun at the expense of GS was a universal thing! Obviously it's just the mad bunch in my county who go for it!

Reply 17

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

I have to admit my during Computer Awareness paper (taken alongside GCSEs but it didn't have any widely recognised value) I got a little bit silly (exam fever?), finished the questions and then went through and wronte "blue" for all the answers I didn't know and wrote a bit of an essay on the inside cover to the marker about how sexist the cover of the paper was (it had little stick boys and girls with all the girls in skirts :rolleyes:

).

I somehow got a distinction though - despite not touching a computer in preparation (it was about being *aware* of computers not knowing how to use them :wink:

)

Those were the days *sigh*

Reply 18

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Musicwoman

Many people at our college think GS is a complete wast of time but we HAVe to turn up and take it otherwise we are charged. I'm genuinely surprised that people are being so superior about it - I thought that childish fun at the expense of GS was a universal thing! Obviously it's just the mad bunch in my county who go for it!

Lets just hope you don't miss a grade of your offer and have your acceptance decided on your general studies grade :smile:

Reply 19

Suzy_vet

Thats sounds like a dam good idea to me. If your school make you do it and its worthless then you might as well have a bit of fun with it.

Is general studies not a complete mockery of the whole A level and exam process anyway? You get an A for being generally intelligent and looking at the news once in a while.

Ok...own up! Who played the general Studies Game this morning?

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