The Student Room Group

Most unimportant A-Levels?

I heads stupid ones like AS Crime and Arresting or something like that

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Reply 1
General studies.
Photography. (Before you eat me, I wasted a year studying it. Seriously if you are considering it. Stop please) Though guess this is up to the person. General Studies and Critical thinking aren't accepted by a lot of unis though
Original post by IfOnlyItWereEasy
Photography. (Before you eat me, I wasted a year studying it. Seriously if you are considering it. Stop please) Though guess this is up to the person. General Studies and Critical thinking aren't accepted by a lot of unis though


How is the step between gcse and alevel photography?

I know someone who picked as photography
Original post by ASkyFullOfStars
How is the step between gcse and alevel photography?

I know someone who picked as photography


I never did GCSE. You didn't need any previous experience to take photography which says a lot. It was ALL coursework. Tedious as hell. Required a LOT of extra time, and then your own teacher marked it, and sent a few off for moderation. Considering I put probably about 5+ hours a week into photography on top of the lessons and only came out with a C. That's your proof (My other grades were AAB). You learn nothing. Tell them if they like photography, drop the subject, they will despise the subject by the end. My class of 15 dropped to 1.
maths
Original post by IfOnlyItWereEasy
I never did GCSE. You didn't need any previous experience to take photography which says a lot. It was ALL coursework. Tedious as hell. Required a LOT of extra time, and then your own teacher marked it, and sent a few off for moderation. Considering I put probably about 5+ hours a week into photography on top of the lessons and only came out with a C. That's your proof (My other grades were AAB). You learn nothing. Tell them if they like photography, drop the subject, they will despise the subject by the end. My class of 15 dropped to 1.


Yeh lol anyone can get onto the course! I really hate subjects like this.
Original post by IfOnlyItWereEasy
I never did GCSE. You didn't need any previous experience to take photography which says a lot. It was ALL coursework. Tedious as hell. Required a LOT of extra time, and then your own teacher marked it, and sent a few off for moderation. Considering I put probably about 5+ hours a week into photography on top of the lessons and only came out with a C. That's your proof (My other grades were AAB). You learn nothing. Tell them if they like photography, drop the subject, they will despise the subject by the end. My class of 15 dropped to 1.

Lol it says students will develop further technological skills and creative awareness. It seems like a decent subject but I doubt it's anything like that
Original post by ASkyFullOfStars
Lol it says students will develop further technological skills and creative awareness. It seems like a decent subject but I doubt it's anything like that


'**** guys we have to make this subject sound clever. Hmmm we can't say 'You will learn how to use a camera and basic photoshop, and will learn how to talk **** about art' I know 'students will develop further technological skills and creative awareness'
Sociology. Seriously just such a waste of time.

When I was choosing my AS Levels I asked around and everyone said 'yeah it's fairly hard but it's interesting'... nope. The exam can give you about 10 marks for definitions alone, seriously. One question I had once was 'Explain what is meant by Social solidarity', and for this you could get two marks simply by writing 'unity'.

Absolutely ridiculous, and it's boring.
General Studies. Got an A* with 0 work, and it's actually accepted by a surprising number of unis
Original post by IfOnlyItWereEasy
I never did GCSE. You didn't need any previous experience to take photography which says a lot. It was ALL coursework. Tedious as hell. Required a LOT of extra time, and then your own teacher marked it, and sent a few off for moderation. Considering I put probably about 5+ hours a week into photography on top of the lessons and only came out with a C. That's your proof (My other grades were AAB). You learn nothing. Tell them if they like photography, drop the subject, they will despise the subject by the end. My class of 15 dropped to 1.


I agree with 100% of this. I thought I was actually going to learn HOW to take different types of pictures using various cameras but all I ended up doing was learning how to glue down printed photos in a straight line on a piece of cardboard. God it was tedious and I also ended up with only a C. :/
Reply 12
Original post by tomfailinghelp
Sociology. Seriously just such a waste of time.

When I was choosing my AS Levels I asked around and everyone said 'yeah it's fairly hard but it's interesting'... nope. The exam can give you about 10 marks for definitions alone, seriously. One question I had once was 'Explain what is meant by Social solidarity', and for this you could get two marks simply by writing 'unity'.

Absolutely ridiculous, and it's boring.


Would you say A level sociology is 'easy' then?
Reply 13
Either Performing Arts or Sports Studies.
Original post by cassicles
I agree with 100% of this. I thought I was actually going to learn HOW to take different types of pictures using various cameras but all I ended up doing was learning how to glue down printed photos in a straight line on a piece of cardboard. God it was tedious and I also ended up with only a C. :/


That and how to fix a guillotine. You learn nothing. You also learn that printers make your photos look **** anyway, all your careful editing is for NOTHING, and heck, why would they teach you to set up the printer to make the photos print nicely? I learnt more from talking to people on DeviantArt! All the subject did was dampen my enthusiasm for photography
Original post by IfOnlyItWereEasy
x



Original post by tomfailinghelp
X

Actually Film studies is the worst out of the all of them

''In year one (AS), the course introduces the basics of the subject by reference to popular cinema, such as Hollywood and Britain. Short film-making is also an option. In year two (A2), there is a clear progression with opportunities for study in World Cinema and personal research. Short film-making is also an option.''

So you basically sit there for hours watching Eastenders and taking notes.

-Life
I took Media Studies (I love this subject despite it being a soft subject), photography, English language and business studies. Can anyone tell I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do at uni when I started? :tongue: but seriously. In film studies my friends watched Grease and high school musical and stuff :tongue:
Original post by IfOnlyItWereEasy
That and how to fix a guillotine. You learn nothing. You also learn that printers make your photos look **** anyway, all your careful editing is for NOTHING, and heck, why would they teach you to set up the printer to make the photos print nicely? I learnt more from talking to people on DeviantArt! All the subject did was dampen my enthusiasm for photography


Exactly, I wish I could go back and get the £20 I spent buying my own guillotine to use at home, hahaha. And it didn't help that my teacher would give vague feedback like "maybe you should research more contextual artists on your next photoshoot" ummm??? thanks....... Did you have to pay for your own printing too? I'm convinced I threw down over £100 only to have the printer either mess up details in my editing or just mess up some other way, urgh.
Original post by cassicles
Exactly, I wish I could go back and get the £20 I spent buying my own guillotine to use at home, hahaha. And it didn't help that my teacher would give vague feedback like "maybe you should research more contextual artists on your next photoshoot" ummm??? thanks....... Did you have to pay for your own printing too? I'm convinced I threw down over £100 only to have the printer either mess up details in my editing or just mess up some other way, urgh.


I can beat that. My teacher wasn't a photography teacher. He was an 'art teacher' as he frequently told us, I knew photoshop better than he did. He NEVER marked my sketchbook. I cried in his lesson because I was so stressed because I didn't have a clue what to do. He took my unit 1 sketchbook for 4 months once, and never even marked it. And did I ****. I kept getting more printer credits from the art technician. I wasn't paying to print out photos I know would get butchered.
Original post by Saraa.xx
Would you say A level sociology is 'easy' then?


I've not done the full two years, but AS is absolutely. When I say it's more like a GCSE than an AS Level I am not at all exaggerating. On the whole people tend to say otherwise, but in my experience these are stupid people.

Original post by ASkyFullOfStars
Actually Film studies is the worst out of the all of them

''In year one (AS), the course introduces the basics of the subject by reference to popular cinema, such as Hollywood and Britain. Short film-making is also an option. In year two (A2), there is a clear progression with opportunities for study in World Cinema and personal research. Short film-making is also an option.''

So you basically sit there for hours watching Eastenders and taking notes.

-Life


Interesting! I know a guy who kept harking on about how difficult it was, didn't really believe him anyway...

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