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State school pupils opt for easy A-levels

Oh, what science(s)?
Yes, I agree. Though maybe less funding could be spent on certain subjects in order to help the others?

Reply 61

Jump

18

No Future

Oh, what science(s)?
Yes, I agree. Though maybe less funding could be spent on certain subjects in order to help the others?

Maths. But the deptartment is Maths and Physics, I detest Physics :frown:

I'm not sure about this but surely subjects such as Chemistry are considerably more expensive to run than for example, Sociology.
Also there is no point in having a great, fully funded course when only 5 people are on it...

Reply 62

davros

16

Jump

Whoever said C's in Maths, Physics etc would be more beneficial than A's in the likes of Media, ICT etc is talking absolute rubbish; If I achieved CCC in any subjects I probably wouldn't have bothered with uni however with AAA, I will definately go to uni, which will probably be most beneficial for society...assuming I get a better paid job and therefore pay more tax.

Well, David Beckham pays more tax than a graduate, so if you regard "benefit to society" as being measurable by the amount of tax you pay, then you should forget uni and spend 3 years kicking a ball about to advanced standard.

And I happen to think that ICT skills are very valuable to society. However, as I have learned from personal experience, ICT skills can be acquired in the workplace whereas I have yet to find an employer willing to train me in maths and physics! So, the issue for me when I did my A levels was: do I spend 2 years learning something I can pick up later, or do I take advantage of 2 years' free education in subjects I might not get another chance to study?

Your personal circumstances may be different, and you are free to make your personal choice. I have no quarrel with people who take media studies if it fits with their career/life plans, and just maybe they'll do something outstanding in the future (like resurrect the British film industry).

However, the original post was about how state school pupils are being steered in their subject choices, and it is not "elitist" to point out that their choice of subjects may disadvantage them in the future if they haven't thought things through.

Reply 63

Cellardore

11

bloody hell. Why do you lot keep going on about it. Are you just very insecure or something? Everyone wants to be right all the time.

Reply 64

davros

16

it's called a "healthy intellectual debate". No-one has died yet from reading this thread (unlike the situation in Iraq)!

And I'm in the fortunate position of having completed my education many years ago, so I can meddle in these discussions from a postion of security. It amuses me to see how today's students are being manipulated by the Government...

Reply 65

Cellardore

11

lol. This is anything but intellectual. More like people trying to make themselves feel superior.

Reply 66

kellywood_5

17

Cellardore

lol. This is anything but intellectual. More like people trying to make themselves feel superior.

Exactly- that's why the whole 'mickey mouse' thing started in the first place. Some of the people who do 'hard' subjects felt flattered and continued the debate so they could put others down and somehow make themselves feel more intelligent.

Reply 67

znicz

1

I do biology chemistry and psychology and i find that psychology is the hardest and chemsitry the easiest. I anoys me whan people say that i took psychology cos its easy cos thats a load of rubbish there is more stuff that i need to learn in psychology than there is in biology and chemistry put together.

Reply 68

Socrates

17

I don't know if anybody has raised this, but if so called "mickey mouse" A -Levels were so easy, the pass rate would be extremely high. That is not, however, the case. A- Levels are A -Levels, and although traditional/academic ones may have a slight edge on the more modern/vocational ones, they are still nonetheless challenging stuff and you have to work hard to get a decent grade.

Reply 69

White_redrose

1

kellywood_5

Exactly- that's why the whole 'mickey mouse' thing started in the first place. Some of the people who do 'hard' subjects felt flattered and continued the debate so they could put others down and somehow make themselves feel more intelligent.

Well said. :smile:

Tbh, I think that if you enjoy the subject, you should take it - why put yourself through hell for two years studying for a subject you hate? I know how glad I was to drop various subjects in Y11, knowing that I wouldn't have to suffer them again. The 'mickey mouse' thing is all subjective anyway. Before I applied to Cambridge, a 'friend' of the family informed me that because I had taken (alongside other subjects) Art and Sociology at AS, (which they deemed to be 'easy' subjects) I was unlikely to get an offer, a very silly and misleading remark.

Reply 70

Gaz031

15

zaf1986

I don't know if anybody has raised this, but if so called "mickey mouse" A -Levels were so easy, the pass rate would be extremely high. That is not, however, the case. A- Levels are A -Levels, and although traditional/academic ones may have a slight edge on the more modern/vocational ones, they are still nonetheless challenging stuff and you have to work hard to get a decent grade.

There isn't a much higher pass rate because of the type of people who tend to do them.

Reply 71

kellywood_5

17

Gaz031

There isn't a much higher pass rate because of the type of people who tend to do them.

If it's true that less-able pupils are channelled into subjects that are deemed easier, then yes, what you say could be true. But I still say that some pupils doing subjects deemed as hard, such as maths and the sciences, would struggle with so-called easy subjects like media studies and sociology because of the different skills they test.

Reply 72

Christophicus

18

kellywood_5

If it's true that less-able pupils are channelled into subjects that are deemed easier, then yes, what you say could be true. But I still say that some pupils doing subjects deemed as hard, such as maths and the sciences, would struggle with so-called easy subjects like media studies and sociology because of the different skills they test.

Agreed, and vice versa.

Reply 73

Pegasus

2

I don't know if its already been said (I didn't particularly want to scroll through 4 pages of disscusion on media studies being the posterchild for all that is wrong with our society...) but I think part of the reason why state school pupils are more likely to take 'easy' A-levels is that there is greater reluctance amongst many (although certainly not all) private schools to offer newer/ less traditional subjects.

Reply 74

Cellardore

11

i'd really appreciate it if people dropped the 'easy' crap. I've never heard so much bulls**t in all my life.

Reply 75

*starry_eyed_*

14

i can see how people are choosin what they think are "easy" subjects. take, for example psychology. most of my friends tok that as a "doss" subject... they do more work than me (i do sociology instead)

Reply 76

recurring

11

I agree with the article to a large extent, i go to one of the top grammar schools and nearly half the year take media, about 20 pe and 30 ict etc etc, the school practically encourage students to take "easier" alevels to bolster their total points tally so they can straddle the upper end of the league tables :rolleyes:

Reply 77

Madelyn

13

That depends on the school. At mine, we know that we're always going to get plenty of applications because we have a good reputation and everything, so we don't have to worry too much about league tables. Consequently, we feel less pressure to encourage people in directions they don't necessarily want to go - the school tends to think more about what's best for the individual pupil, rather than what will make the school look good.
And we still get good results.

Reply 78

soulsussed

1

The statement first made I think has been twisted slightly. It says that state school students are more likely to go for 'easier' or 'mickey mouse' A levels.

Well, the 'easy' A levles, as established in this thread, are psychology and sociology, and the 'hard' ones are maths and physics.

First of all, people have different intelligences, people who are logical and good at maths won't go for creative subject. And as it so happens they would probably find art very difficult. So there is absolutly no way of defining an 'easy' or 'hard' subject because that depends on the person and what they are good at.

I have no doubt that the posh private schools are encouraging students to take more traditional subjects but this is because private schools are traditional and are probably too pompous to accept anything new.

The statement at the begining of the thread was provokative. It made out that state school students are badly educated or thick therefore they go for easy subjects because they can't cope with harder ones. Which is absolute bullshit

So lets turn the statement round slightly. Because there are no easy or un valuable A levels. Unless your taking one for the sake of it which is applicable to any A level.

State school students are choosing a from a wide range of A levels and new subjects have become popular whilst private school students sticking to their more traditional subjects.

I don't doubt the statistics but it depends on how you interpret them and how you portray them. The portrayal at the begining of the thread was provakative (as it should be) and rather ignorant.