"Scrap A Levels" says Cambridge

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Ticki

On a basic level that's true, but I mostly disagree in that certain schools do seem to prep you better for study at this level. The best example I can give from my own experience regards historiography, which very, very few comprehensives seem to teach and which is an incredibly complicated subject to be introduced to at degree level.

I hate to tell you this but my private school didn't prep me any better for degree either. It's tough. Even a magic (apparently) private school can't fit in all the extension material you would need in order to make the transition to degree level easy. On top of this A levels are not self-taught in general; it is a big change to go to reading a subject and not something any school can really prepare you for. And once you're here it's the way you think and how quickly you can learn that really counts. I don't know what they teach at Eton but at my school the focus was on passing exams, not on proper thinking, so it's not something you're taught.

I have to work twice/three times as hard as others because I'm just not as clever. Eventually, you have to learn to accept that you can't blame everything on an outside influence; some people are just brainier than others and here, at least, I'm not one of them. This is not unfair. How can it be? I was made this way; there's no-one to blame except perhaps my ancestors, for having less clever genes. Blame surely does not come into it here.

Given that in general comprehensive students seem to do better at degree level than private school students, perhaps I should complain that you were better-prepared than me?

Reply 61

Camford

I will add more to this thread after my supervision. and I am late for the super and not done as many questions as intended.

Reply 62

Camford

I will add more to this thread after my supervision. and I am late for the super and not done as many questions as intended.

I don't think I should say anything anymore on this....

Reply 63

kellywood_5

MadNatSci

Given that in general comprehensive students seem to do better at degree level than private school students, perhaps I should complain that you were better-prepared than me?

You raise an interesting point there. Private school students are discriminated against because of better opportunities at GCSE and A-level, but if you go on to do a degree, that will be more important and comprehensive students generally do better....

Reply 64

WhatFreshHell?

I don't think you can ask people to decide between wanting to go down an academic route and get a degree, or to opt for a more vocational path, especially aged 16. The whole point of A-Levels isn't about university entrance, it's about saying that people with these qualifications are this well educated, hence A-Levels are stand-alone qualifications.
On the other hand, I think oxbridge entrance tests have been proven not to work, even less than interviews.

I do get the sense (and it is only that) that university admissions are moving more towards the subject testing BMAT/LNAT exam idea, especially towards the top end of the spectrum. I personally can't see why such things can't be incorporated into STEP papers or AEAs. Although, if the A-level was made more complex, it would alienate less academically-inclined students.

A synthesis of the scottish system, whereby there are different levels of exam, each of which acts as the entrance exam to the course above it, and the english system of modular-based A-levels might work; certainly the government should be, and I'm sure are, investigating these types of things.

On a different point:
In state schools, by and large, it is much easier to go off the rails and not focus academically than at private/selective schools, mainly because of exposure to "the other half" of people who don't care about uni etc. A big reason comprehensive kids go on to go comparatively further at uni is they've learned how to deal with lots of different pressures, and they're going to be very academically focused (if they weren't, they'd just have done what their friends did). It's less of a deal at selective schools because there's a whole load of problems taken right out the equation.
That's just conjecture, tbh, but I think it stands up to reason!

I agree.

White_redrose

That's quite a strict school policy! Why do they insist on that?

i have no idea...because it detracts from other studies is the official line...but it improves the overall grade which surely looks good for the school?

Reply 67

White_redrose

xx_ambellina_xx

i have no idea...because it detracts from other studies is the official line...but it improves the overall grade which surely looks good for the school?