People who get A* in Eng Lit are smarter than the people who do the same in Science?

Clearly you don't have a clue about science and maths. It isn't just remembering information. The opinion of such an ignorant and misinformed person is not needed here.

Darling, before you start saying someone is ' an ignorant and misinformed person who is not needed here' it might be best to actual know that person before hand otherwise the 'ignorant and misinformed person' becomes you. My brother sat A Level Physic, Chem, Maths and Further Maths. My Mother used to be a physic Uni lecturer. The majority of my friend do these type of subjects at school. I do know what type of questions are on these papers. Hell i grew up looking at these type of questions! But with sciences and maths you learn equation and theories and adapt them to what the question is asking you. One right or wrong answer. Your either smart enough to work it out or not. Basically, learning and regurgitating. English Lit, you could study one line of a novel. Get given a question around that line, and apply what you have learnt before about it and be right but at the same time completely wrong.
I have never said that you dont need to be 'smart' to take maths / sciences, but in MY opinion (we're all allowed our opinion without it being classes as 'not being needed') you need to be 'smarter' for English type subjects as not only have you got to be 'smart' to first off answer the question, but then to manipulate your knowledge of other texts to fit the question while at the same time trying to manipulate the examiner to agree with you and therefore give you a mark.

In future, your 'troll-eque' 'opinion of an ingonrant and misinformed person is not needed here.'

Relativity.

Done.

OP

Original post by CescaBeth

Darling, before you start saying someone is ' an ignorant and misinformed person who is not needed here' it might be best to actual know that person before hand otherwise the 'ignorant and misinformed person' becomes you. My brother sat A Level Physic, Chem, Maths and Further Maths. My Mother used to be a physic Uni lecturer. The majority of my friend do these type of subjects at school. I do know what type of questions are on these papers. Hell i grew up looking at these type of questions! But with sciences and maths you learn equation and theories and adapt them to what the question is asking you. One right or wrong answer. Your either smart enough to work it out or not. Basically, learning and regurgitating. English Lit, you could study one line of a novel. Get given a question around that line, and apply what you have learnt before about it and be right but at the same time completely wrong.
I have never said that you dont need to be 'smart' to take maths / sciences, but in MY opinion (we're all allowed our opinion without it being classes as 'not being needed') you need to be 'smarter' for English type subjects as not only have you got to be 'smart' to first off answer the question, but then to manipulate your knowledge of other texts to fit the question while at the same time trying to manipulate the examiner to agree with you and therefore give you a mark.

In future, your 'troll-eque' 'opinion of an ingonrant and misinformed person is not needed here.'

BOSS!

Reply 583

F1's Finest

21

Original post by CescaBeth

Well yes, for the simple fact sciences and maths you learn an answer and regurgitate, with the essay based subjects you have to be 'smart' to be able to apply what you have learnt and adapt adding your own knowledge (which you dont have to do in maths/sciences) and try to form the desired answer for a question which you may have never even discussed before.

Yes, but in a sense, essays are about memorising important information (from a novel, book etc) beforehand and then manipulating the words in such a way to make it flow. The easy way of doing that is mainly to use tons of adjectives. IF you look in a thesaurus and a book of idioms before as well as the content you need to talk about, then that alone will get you good marks.
I can do that and I'm not even good at the essay based subjects (well i wasn't, back in the GCSE days anyway). The sciences and maths aren't always about memorising things and if it was, everyone would be attaining high grades. The actual concepts is where people find it hard. IF your not good at something like chemistry (where you can't grasp the concepts and basic principles), then you will suffer throughout the entire A-level course.

With the essay subjects, i could literally bull**** throughout and still pick up some marks.

Reply 584

evantej

18

Very few students have experience of arts and humanities subjects and science subjects at undergraduate level and beyond, which makes the original statement hard to verify. The comparison of the areas below this level (i.e. GCSE and A level) is a waste of time because it is often the forms of assessment rather than the subjects themselves which are to blame.

In reality both subjects are actually similar when it comes to research; what constitutes a good argument and evidence in one subject is likely to be the same for the other. The two immediate differences I see is that science has an overly restrictive methodology, and that some arts and humanities subjects are too lax when it comes to evidence. For example, the latter probably use arguments from authority too much, when in science they are rejected outright. In reality, they are not though, thus the parallels (i.e. both rely on a weakness in inductive reasoning).

This whole discussion is pointless.

Reply 585

a.partridge

Original post by evantej

The two immediate differences I see is that science has an overly restrictive methodology, and that some arts and humanities subjects are too lax when it comes to evidence. For example, the latter probably use arguments from authority too much, when in science they are rejected outright. In reality, they are not though, thus the parallels (i.e. both rely on a weakness in inductive reasoning).

This whole discussion is pointless.

overly restrictive for the purposes of what? example?

any argument from authority is not logically valid and won't be found at all in good science, whereas the so called 'arguments and reasoning' (as so many posts have mentioned how english students excel in these) in subjects like english are almost entirely based in argument from authority i.e 'some authors quote in such a book supports my view' or are otherwise very logically lax.

and I fail to see 'relying on a weakness in inductive reasoning' as a non-arbitrary similarity between the two.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 586

Alevelsareboring

OP

13

Maynnnn this thread was the SHIZ NIT! Can i bring it back to life...?

Reply 587

Namige

17

I don't see any poets or writers who are synonymous with the word 'genius'

Reply 588

Gthreadgold

11

I hate the science vs humanities threads so much, everyone gets so touchy...

Reply 589

Dukeofwembley

Original post by Username_valid

Disagree. Try doing physics, you could read through everything and memorise everything but if you don't understand what you're reading and can't interpret and apply what you've learnt, then you'll most definitely struggle.

NO, try doing biology

where you learn the whole unit and they they test you only on 25% of the unit

and put in bizzare questions

Reply 590

Gthreadgold

11

Original post by Namige

I don't see any poets or writers who are synonymous with the word 'genius'

Shakespeare isn't a genius? Someone who changed the way the English language has evolved? There are people (directors, writers, artists, actors) all around the world who learn English just so they can read Shakespeare. Shakespeare is all about the language, not the plots or characters, the language. I would say someone who can have that affect on people globally all over the world 500 years later is a bit of a genius.

Not saying that's as amazing as Alexander Flemming or Einstein, but I think it's quite remarkable.

Reply 591

meowcat95

So rude! If this is true, why are typical offers for good science degrees A*AA/AAA, but for good English degrees ABB/BBB? Science used to be about memorising facts, but English Lit is just about memorising what your teacher says. Both take analytical skill, but intelligent people can be either humanities focussed or science focussed or both. Science exams have moved on in recent years towards a more analytical framework - rather than "Name the chambers of the heart" you would have something more like "Why is the left ventricle wall thicker than the right?" (science people, I know that's an obvious one but I'm just giving an example :P ). You also get "they never taught me that" questions where you apply knowledge of, say, acid behaviour, to a massive molecule of something like cocaine or lemon-flavouring. You don't get that in English: you are tested only on literature you have studied.

OP, you are ignorant. Make friends with some science-minded people, we're fairly nice to you humanities students...

Reply 592

Ndella

18

The sciency people here are just getting a bit offended because they lack creativity, my opinion

Reply 593

Ndella

18

Original post by mournfulpirate

Science rulez, ok?

No, it doesn't.

Reply 594

SamTheMan95

11

In my sixth form arts subjects are seen as a cop out by most. People would take them if they weren't good at the sciences but they would try and balance it out with high career aspirations. All of them wanting to be lawyers...hmmm

Employers prefer STEM subjects rather than arts.

Reply 595

Robbie242

I'm doing Maths, history and economics, history is the easiest so far although all of them have their easy points and hard ones but if your going to tell me English is better that's fine I don't mind, what I do mind is when people say English is better than this there all equal in their own respects apart from media and art (lol joke) but please keep it to yourself considering learning maths Is like learning a language of maths and english is about more comprehensive english.

Reply 596

J.Nalbandian14

16

It depends on how good and smart the individual is, I got ABC in Maths, English and Science respectively

Reply 597

Redolent

10

Original post by meowcat95

You don't get that in English: you are tested only on literature you have studied.

No, you are pretty much exclusively tested on literature you haven't studied. That's the whole point, it's a skills-based exam.

Reply 598

shamika

16

Am I the only one who found sciences the hardest at A-Level? I took Maths, Further Maths, English Lit, Physics and Chemistry. I found Chemistry to be unbelievably dull; I learnt exam technique but very little actual Chemistry.

I hate subjects where you are merely memorising set phrases or buzzwords in order to pass the exam. It doesn't help that no calculus may be assumed in Physics. For me, that made it harder, since you're having to make sense of wooly reasoning rather than learn the underlying concepts properly.

English Lit, by contrast was a lot easier to do well in, once I understood that essays had to hit certain assessment objectives and no more. Actually, in hindsight, it was easier than everything I took, except maybe maths. Had the most fun in English Lit though!