Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

A Levels are "easier"

Came across this article on another thread

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/education/2553280/A-levels-to-be-made-harder-as-pass-rate-hits-record-high.html

"Fewer than three out of every 100 A-level papers are expected to have failed."

"The pass rate was predicted to rise above 97 per cent for the first time - fuelling claims that the exam is “impossible to fail”. More papers were also expected to be graded an A, exceeding the 25.3 per cent of entries awarded the top mark in 2007."

"One-in-10 sixth-formers was due to be awarded straight As. "

I didn't read the whole article, I just read the first few paragraphs and it made me think about this.

Every year the media moans about how gcses/a levels are getting oh-so-easy and everyones getting 5As with only 5 brain cells...

Was just wondering if these statistics take into account the fact that those taking A levels in the first place are going to be academically bright? If they're not, they're more likely to want to go in a different direction, either by taking a vocational course, or a Btec etc, especially now that the government are trying to encourage more students to take vocational courses!

I really dislike the way that every single year like clockwork, the media claim that all of these qualifications are so easy, and impossible to fail.

Watch the olympics, and the athletes are always improving year by year. Does that mean that the races/courses are any easier?

Imagine if, one year, A level results dropped. What's the betting that the moaning would switch to about how lazy/unintelligent the youth of today are!

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

FyreFight

I can't speak for any other A-level subjects, but I know for certain that the ones I did (Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology) are far, far easier than they used to be.

Reply 2

Creative

A-levels are easier, I did them this year, and I've seen what they were like over 10 years ago. So the papers are right (for once).

Reply 3

shamrock92

Take a look at the papers, compare them. It's impossible.

Reply 4

afua12

FyreFight

I can't speak for any other A-level subjects, but I know for certain that the ones I did (Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology) are far, far easier than they used to be.

CREATIVE

A-levels are easier, I did them this year, and I've seen what they were like over 10 years ago. So the papers are right (for once).

is that quality and quantity?

Reply 5

Zerodos

You make many valid points however myself having just done AS exams can say i do actually believe the exams are getting easier. My reasoning for this is from past papers. From looking at papers from say 3 years ago i have to say they do seem easier than the ones we were doing however i cannot say definitly that this is the case as i dont know the mark schemes or grade boundaries for the exams just taken.

Reply 6

nadiah

Maybe people are just getting smarter? More people are also doing A levels than they used to, meaning a bigger group of people able to get an A. I'm also pretty sure that the statistic "1 in 10 people are expected to get straight A's" is exaggerated - I sat my A levels at a Grammar school and I'm SURE that not as many as 1 in 10 people got straight A's!
You also have to take into account the fact that theres a wider range of subjects than ever before, and some are more vocational such as Media or Business studies.

Reply 7

amywalters

Personally, I don't believe they are getting easier. I did physics at A-level and still found it challenging, some really difficult concepts to understand. The teaching styles are the things that have changed, back then, no-one really cared what you did or how you did it, nowadays, the teachers are much more involved and wanting you to succeed, & will go out of their way to help you grasp ideas. If I asked my mum or dad to sit down with a physics paper, the only thing they could do correctly was write their name. It frustrates me that yes, for the very intelligent people, the papers might seem easier from 10 years ago, but for me, a moderately intelligent person, I had to work very hard to achieve what I did, and I don't appreciate that effort being taken away from me by silly newspapers who are always looking for excuses and say the same thing every year! Maybe people just want to succeed in life, and realise the importance of good grades to set you in good stead for the future.

Reply 8

jamesair99

the only thing that makes todays papers easy (for me) is the fact we have access to about 100 past papers on the internet that we can just do until we're ready to do the exam. I bet back in the 70s they didn't have that facility!

what flaming annoys me is how parents thing "oh maths was harder back then because shillings and feet and inches didn't use base 10 to count in"
arrgh!!

Reply 9

YesNoMaybeIDontKnow

I dont know about papers getting easier as ive only seen past papers from 2003+..
I just assumed there was a higher percentage of A grades because more people are chosing to take courses like media studies/sociology etc.. (the sort 'black listed' by uni's) which i assume are easier to pass than maths/physics etc..
Also better teaching and stuff.
(just my 2 cents).

Reply 10

afua12

^ nadiah

I do wonder how much they manipulate the statistics...

Reply 11

dentalstudentGKT

look at some of the old syllabus's and past papers from the early 90's!
Our gcse chemistry teacher was showing us them to make the point that exams are getting easier, at the time i was stunned out how hard it was. two years later i was even more stunned because after getting an A in chemistry i still couldn't get my head around that gcse paper!
believe it or not guys, exams are getting much easier!

Reply 12

Salinger

yeah, with respect they are easier than they used to be

but the statistics take into account ALL SUBJECTS, therefore with the very high percentage of people getting straight A's this is taking into account people doing say three frowned upon subjects.. and if more people are taking frowned upon subjects which are seen as easier then surely there is going to be a higher percentage of A's.

Reply 13

Tinkerbee

Hell yeah they are easier. I did piss all revision and got ABB :yep:

Admittedly they may be seen as doss subjects :rolleyes:

but still. I should have crashed and burned so badly.

Reply 14

electriic_ink

Regardless of whether or not they are getting easier, 10% of students should not be getting three A grades. Something needs to be done - and the abolition of the AEAs is not a good start.

Reply 15

m.maow

yeah theyre definitely getting easier (just look at past papers from 20+ years ago). but why the hell are you lot complaining??

Reply 16

nadiah

afua12

^ nadiah

I do wonder how much they manipulate the statistics...

Yeah, I mean does that include people who maybe only took 1 A-level as part of something else on a college course? Does it include the likes of General studies?

Reply 17

FyreFight

amywalters

You may have found it difficult yourself, but that doesn't mean that they aren't getting easier. Compare a modern paper to one from a decade ago. If you struggled with current ones, you'd have found the older ones almost impossible.

Reply 18

NDGAARONDI

More people seem to be achieving As at 'A' level whilst maths and English literacy is dropping. 'A' levels are not really a proper test for undergraduate study, perhaps a Higher Education certificate is. Unfortunately, because of the political nature of 'A' levels, if I just finished my GCSEs I would not do them, I'd do OU modules or something.

Reply 19

UltimateJ

Meh. A-levels have got easier - thats pretty dam obvious. But I think there are many other factors which have increased the pass rate i.e. access to past papers, the ability to "play the game" and not learn a subject, and grade-success driven schools to name a few.