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Anyone else have 0 faith in the exam system?

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Original post by Xotol
I like your enthusiasm, but I highly doubt a random thread on a random thread will revolutionise an education system that has been put into place for years.


It is exactly that attitude that's got us no change so far!
Reply 101
Avatar for Besakt
Besakt
3
Original post by CupcakeFaerie
AQA is so bad, we did some past exam questions for Biology on neurones and the question featured a diagram. This diagram was clearly made by someone who knew nothing about the subject as they had labelled the neurones wrong and we had to correct the diagram. If I had gotten this question in an exam I would have been totally confused by it. Also I think people remember the awful Jan 2010 paper for unit 4...


Which neurones question is this?

Also about the Jan 2010 paper unit 4 the grade boundaries were then set accordingly.
Reply 102
Avatar for Xotol
Xotol
14
Original post by Miracle Day
It is exactly that attitude that's got us no change so far!


It's a realistic attitude. If you can organise a mass movement against the education system that will actually work, I'll support it. Until then, it's just random students bouncing ideas around a forum because they don't like the education system for whatever reason.
Reply 103
Avatar for Besakt
Besakt
3
Original post by When you see it...
They make mistakes because they are paid piss poor wages so are basically forced to rush through the papers in order to make it worthwile, therefore it is the exam boards' fault.


So if they were paid more they would, mark them slower? Of course they wouldn't they would mark it faster to get paid more.

Stupid excuse.
Totally with you,
Got a D in my recent law exam, i worked so dam hard
and only once in a partice paper (right back when we started the unit) got a D
the rest were good, the paper was good
so what the hell went wrong?

getting my paper back though
Reply 105
Avatar for Besakt
Besakt
3
Original post by Xotol
It's a realistic attitude. If you can organise a mass movement against the education system that will actually work, I'll support it. Until then, it's just random students bouncing ideas around a forum because they don't like the education system for whatever reason.


That's what they said about the facebook group about the Jan10 Unit 4 biology paper, the facebook group had a an affect. The masses have power, it's just that it is very much underestimated how much power we have.
Reply 106
Avatar for Campsa
Campsa
Last year in June I did two modules for Politics for which I studied loads - I got a D and E, I resat them in January and having not studied anything at all got overall B with 90% in the first module... When I had done the exam I was certain I had failed it because I had no idea WTH the questions were even asking yet I got a much better grade than in the exam I had actually studied for.

For Business studies in June I came out of the exam thinking I had an A for certain... To my surprise on results day I got a C, I sent the exam to remark and it came back with 18 marks more and overall A... Which begs the question how do you miss 18 marks in an exam?

Following my experiences I think luck sometime plays a bigger part than studying for some subjects tbh...
I agree that we probably have the power to influence this, somehow.

I'm worried about my May exams, especially for AQA English lit, which seems to be one with horrendous marking :erm:
I think there is some sort of link as to why some people do better without revision in subjective subjects like English, history, politics etc. Because when you first sit the paper after doing lots of revision, you're determined to get the highest grade you can personally get. You're tensed, worried and scared if you don't get it. after you've received an E for that exam you revised like hell for, you lose faith in doing well on the subject and stop revising.you sit the resit thinking you're gonna do s*** because you haven't revised but in fact, you're relaxed because you think you're not putting any effort in cos you're going to fail, as you haven't revised. Things that you had revised for the previous paper comes back to you, but you're answering the questions in a calm, relaxed manner.

This is the only reason I can think of for not revising and getting a higher grade in your resit, though I'm not saying the exam boards are 100% perfect and reliable.

Stress/tension can do wonders you know.
The thing is that some people just mess up exams. My mate was one of the smartest people in my chemistry class. He used to get the highest marks in the end of module tests and practicles. When it came to the main exam he ended up getting all B's ( i know he revised bare during the Easter break, because i was with him).
Original post by Besakt
So if they were paid more they would, mark them slower? Of course they wouldn't they would mark it faster to get paid more.

Stupid excuse.


No, I'm saying that they shouldn't be marked per paper, but per hour (or any length of time). That would make them mark it slowe and therefore more carefully, but also it wouldn't make them mark it tediously slow in order to get more time (as that would lead to them getting bored). Do you feel me?
Original post by Besakt
Just because he didn't try hard in class, doesn't mean he never tried hard in his exam.


He did try. He tried his best to literally cram those past papers and write them in his notebooks over and over again. He did nothing else. I personally knew his level of knowledge. Haha I don't mind getting a B in math but it did surprise me, the way he passed, while my other classmates, who probably used the 'wrong method of studying' brought far less.
I totally agree with the OP. Last year I got an E on a Philosophy unit, I retook it having done pretty much exactly the same number of hours of revision, and I got an A. I was happy with that result and everything, but how is it possible? It shouldn't be! I got 100 UMS on a History unit last year I'd never got above a B on in practice.. again, not complaining, but it just shows how subjective and unreliable these things can be and how much luck can be a factor.
Original post by Miracle Day
Problems:
Inconsistent markers
There should be one exam board
Time doesn't measure ability, it just loses marks.


I agree. It's so unfair that two similar students could end up with an A or a C depending on who marks it!
The variation between the difficulty, from what I've heard, of A-levels on different exam boards is sometimes quite wide (Chemistry has been mentioned) - and do employers or universities take this into account? Is AQA better than OCR for their degree because it uses different skills? WTF?
And I DEFINITELY agree with the time. Someone writing a professional essay that is reliable and intelligent will not have 2 hours or less to do it in. They will have many more sources and will not be under so much pressure (and they could have snack breaks if they need it!) :tongue:


Original post by hannahwhelan
In AQA A2 English lit you aren't allowed your books in the exam. This is for no good reason. They are literally testing your ability to memorise quotes. Any academic who writes an essay on a piece of literature will have the book to hand so that they can quote it directly.

It's just complete idiocy which proves nothing.



That is ridiculous. And totally agree. :yep:
That is all I have to say.
Reply 114
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law-bug
2
Putting months of 'learning' to test in 1-2 hrs, where nerves and bad luck can get you, is really a very unrealistic test.

Proper continuous assessment, i.e. not coursework pretty much done by the teacher, is imo the best way to test someone.
Original post by Besakt
Which neurones question is this?

Also about the Jan 2010 paper unit 4 the grade boundaries were then set accordingly.


OK just found the worksheet, we get practice exam questions from old exams too so I assume this was from an old paper. Actually the diagram wasn't too much of a big deal, they just named the postsynaptic membrane the 'prosynaptic membrane.' Which hopefully if you know the spec you would know is wrong. Also a previous question asked to explain how the release of acetylcholine at an excitatory synapse reduced the membrane potential of the postsynaptic membrane, when it actually increases it not reduces..

Does anyone know how the exams are marked? Does 1 person mark one whole exam paper or do the questions get given to different examiners?
Anyone else think we as a Forum have the power to make a difference?
AQA are particularly silly. For our EPQs, they took a sample of 2 from our group of 40, and marked/moderated everyone down by at least 2 grades, based purely on the two they had looked at. (They hadn't looked at anyone elses!)
So unfair.
and they refused to look at the EPQs again, and won't do individual remarks :frown:(((((
Original post by Miracle Day
Yes. People that do Sciences are lucky in the respect that they're answers are black and white, whereas we face the brunt of subjective markers.

Edit: I've obviously been rage-negged by people who do the Sciences. I'm not saying Essays are easier - they're not.. hence why I only adressed that respect. Perhaps you should have taken some essay subjects and you could have realised that :wink:


Don't worry I do sciences and i positively repped you, since I totally agree. I do 4 sciences and an essay based subject; and I have definitely noticed that it is only the essay based subjects that I received unexpected results; so I do feel for you guys.
Ever since Edexcel lost my foreign language oral exam recordings for GCSE, I lost faith in them. Especially as their answer was: 'Oh...um...yeah, we lost your work, so your teacher will just guess your grades...'

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