Should Advanced highers be watered down to the same standard as an A-level?

This ^is a fair point, however it's important to view things from thenother side of the fence;
Scottish Universities, say St. Andrews, could give out an Unconditional to a Scottish applicant whom got AAAA at higher, which equivilises to AAAA at AS-level.
However an english applicant could be expected to get AAA/AAB in their A-levels, which ^is almost the same as AAB at AH even if they got AAAA in their AS-levels.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I know quite a few people with A*A*AA offers. It's not very common, no, but at the most competitive universities those sort of offers do happen. On the other hand, I have NEVER, EVER heard of an offer on 2 Band-1s at AH. I know the top Maths courses in England sometimes ask for a Band-1 in AH Maths, but that's it.

A number of Cambridge colleges now ask Scottish applicants for A, A, A at Advanced Higher and stipulate that two of those A's must be Band Ones.

On the other hand, I have NEVER, EVER heard of an offer on 2 Band-1s at AH.

*waves* Hello. My offer was A1 A1 A2 + STEP.

I would count the A1A1A2 as the easier part of that offer though

As would I except that STEP was essentially optional

As would I except that STEP was essentially optional

What is the name of the animal in your picture? All I can remember is that if you inject it with Iodine it turns into a salamander.

axolotl?

Yes its an axolotl.

I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.
I must remember to google before asking questions.

Did not know about the iodine. We have an axolotl at school in biology...I may experimentally evolve it

Are you sure? They are VERY rare.

Most applicants to St Andrews or at least successful ones will be more likely to have AAAAA or AAAAB which is worth 400 or 385 UCAS points while AAAA at AS-level are only worth 240 points.




This is only for German though, plus these are only looking at the exams, not the course.

I have just looked at German papers for

Advanced Higher -
http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/papers/papers/2010/AH_German_all_2010.pdf

and

Higher -

http://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/papers/papers/2009/H_German_all_2009.pdf

and

A-Level
http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/pdf/AQA-GERM1-W-QP-JUN10.PDF


I thought this would be an easy one for me to compare as I am a native German speaker.


In AH the answers to the reading comprehension and nearly all of the paper is in English. In A Level you have to answer in German.

However, the AH text is longer and slightly harder but IMO this is more than compensated by the fact you write your answers in English.

The writing section is the same difficulty for both on the papers I have linked, but everyone I know who did A Level German had to read novels and write about those in the exam, which is harder.

Higher writing is very, very easing. You only have to
write 150 words in German on a very, very basic topic.


Just based on these papers, I guess it is fair to say AH and A level are about the same level. I would not say that AH is much harder, as you have suggested.

Anyone got any prove for the baseless assertions? Or are we just going to have a pissing contest between A level students and Higher students

Hi

I believe that the reason you have to write in English in Scottish modern language exams is so that you can't just life the answer from the text without understanding what it means. So writing in English is actually harder. Also, you have to read novels in the AH course, and write essays on them as coursework, but rather than writing about them in an exam you discuss them with an external examiner in a 30 minute speaking exam. Which I'd say is harder.



39% of A-level maths (single maths) candidates got an A/A* last year. 12% of Advanced Higher candidates got an A. Doesn't that show you which is harder?

Why would anyone from scotland want to study at an english uni?? Theyd have to pay about £3000 or £9000 per year (depending on year of entry) at the uni when they could get it free at a scottish uni

You say 'its really unfair' ....the fact that scottish residents dont pay tuition fees to go to scottish unis and everyone else in uk is shafted and ends up paying for their uni education for decades after graduation is unfair

In a sense the grades thing is unfair, but i dont know why any scottish person would care or want to go to an english uni