This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

15 August 2013 A-Level results: Discussion thread - results day is here!

Scroll to see replies

Reply 3700

OwlPatronus

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Aah, haha yeah, that's the way to do it!

:eek:

yeah, the actual stuff seems pretty interesting! Phobias, memory and that seem interesting!

We shall see :redface:

well I had all my GCSEs and no frees so I had to self teach!

It is, very. I'm hoping I'll be able to do a bit of psychology at uni, but that might depend on how Thursday turns out...

That's impressive! What are you going to be taking next year?

Reply 3701

L'Evil Fish

Original post by OwlPatronus

It is, very. I'm hoping I'll be able to do a bit of psychology at uni, but that might depend on how Thursday turns out...

That's impressive! What are you going to be taking next year?

What's your course?

Further Maths
Physics
Chemistry
French
Geography

:excited:

Reply 3702

User995789

Original post by wolf-pack

History AQA, my college offers a very limited choice of subjects so we don't do politics, do you enjoy it?

I mean government and politicis :biggrin:

Yeah it was ok, slightly boring.

Reply 3703

username937760

Original post by JamesTheCool

...

I might be rude, and I might come across as generalising, but at least I base my generalisations on real-life observations.

Is this a funny way of saying that all of your evidence is anecdotal?

Kids who go to private schools or have pushy parents that shove textbooks down their throats always end up at a much better place than everyone else, it's not right.

It is actually a case that kids who work harder (or are simply more intelligent than you) end up at better places, which is completely fair. Pushy parents/teachers are one way of achieving this but ultimately the person who sits the exams is you and it is completely down to you where you end up, not anyone else.

Class has such a strong influence on someone's achievement, it makes me sick. Education in this country is rigged. It's a joke.

Really? Do those nasty private school kids go into the exams with copies of the solutions from the examiner? No. The exam is completely fair. They might prepare better for it but at the end of the day your preparation is in your own hands.

I'm not as envious as you'd think; my parents are middle-class themselves and they didn't push me. They only wanted me to be happy unlike a lot of these proud dinner-party show-offs. I'm a product of my own desire to succeed, not some artificially instilled one.

I wonder who is happier - all of these devil-spawned private pupils off to Oxbridge or you, spending your time trying to use class divisions as an excuse for your own inadequacies. A parent doesn't push their child just so they can show them off - they also want the child to do well to secure long term security and happiness.

Reply 3704

meegii

Original post by rturnbull94

Does anyone want to do Dental Technology at Man Met or Cardiff Met?

Yes, at Man Met :smile:

What about you?

Reply 3705

Ollymurslove

These next few days are going to drag, I can tell!
Planning our night out for results day- either be celebrating or drowning our sorrows it seems! :")

Reply 3706

AspiringGenius

Original post by L'Evil Fish

What's your course?

Further Maths
Physics
Chemistry
French
Geography

:excited:

THAT is much better :woo:

I think you will enjoy those five so much and your education will be improved tenfold over doing god knows how many more :smile:

Reply 3707

kevloui

Original post by Arva

Should we make the examinations easier and less standardised to benefit the worse-resourced schools?.

I don't think this is what he's getting at. I think its just the case of most changes in a levels have had a more negative effect on state school students. Private school students are able to handle the changes more. Thats what I can make from this.

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 3708

OwlPatronus

Original post by L'Evil Fish

What's your course?

Further Maths
Physics
Chemistry
French
Geography

:excited:

I'm doing Philosophy & Linguistics - but if I'm at Oxford then it's technically part of the new Philosophy, Psychology and Linguistics course. :smile:

Oh, you're one of those. :tongue:

Sounds good! Did you not want to take History to A2?

Reply 3709

L'Evil Fish

Original post by AspiringGenius

THAT is much better :woo:

I think you will enjoy those five so much and your education will be improved tenfold over doing god knows how many more :smile:

That's how many I was always doing though :tongue:

Welsh Baccalaureate is alongside that obviously.

The only thing I might do is a Spanish AS in Year 13, maybe.

Reply 3710

Ndella

Original post by wolf-pack

I'll probably just cry in my room for 3 weeks and retake my as history classes, or I'll change the degree I want to do and choose something different. I know what you men about the personal statement, mine is just pathetic and embarrassing, and I can't find a job so there isn't even that to talk about!

Haha I just noticed I wrote AQA when I mean OCR. I think I'd also pick another degree; I'm thinking English, but then again I failed my mock so I'm probably not good enough. I have no idea what I want to do :frown:

Exactly! Me and my friend went looking for jobs at the end of last month and I doubt even she got a job, I still haven't got a reply from my shop; how are you supposed to get a good CV if you can't even get a basic retail job? :rolleyes:

If I do apply for universities, the people will be laughing at me, I can just feel it :colondollar:

Reply 3711

AspiringGenius

Original post by L'Evil Fish

That's how many I was always doing though :tongue:

Welsh Baccalaureate is alongside that obviously.

The only thing I might do is a Spanish AS in Year 13, maybe.

You also had German AS thrown in there I swear- and weren;t you oging to be a rebel about wlesh baccalaureate? :tongue:

Reply 3712

TheGalwayGirl

Original post by Silcce

Whats your username?!? Or you could add me?! Wait, on tapped out or candy crush saga o.O

tapped out, haven't played candy crush saga

Reply 3713

L'Evil Fish

Original post by AspiringGenius

You also had German AS thrown in there I swear- and weren;t you oging to be a rebel about wlesh baccalaureate? :tongue:

1) German, I suck at :redface:

2) I'll still have to attend classes (I want my EMA money :colone:

)

Reply 3714

popnit

Original post by AspiringGenius

oh nice

I've been there once.

Hopefully off to UCL but I think Biology will dash my dreams :sad:

Omg I think they same...probably chemistry too. UCL is a good one.

Reply 3715

Pleonasm

Original post by L'Evil Fish

I was wondering if I could apply for deferred entry at Oxbridge and then normal for the rest?

What was your reason?

You could.

Essentially, I was told (and realised for myself) that beyond just being a simple one-off experience, where and what you study at University is actually one of the foundations for the rest of your life. Choosing another University just because I liked the module structure more, or because I like the "feel" more or because the entrance requirements are lower just seemed like a rather stunted and illogical conclusion. And on balance going for the financially cheaper option, and the option that would make me more employable and make graduate funding easier to attain later on - it does fall into place.

Before I actually thought it through my main arguments were "I don't really like the atmosphere as much, I don't really like the fact that the University is so isolated, I don't really like the course structure as much, I didn't really like the other people I met at the open day and the interview that much". All of these seem rather childish and superficial now.

Reply 3716

Where'sPerry?

Original post by Divergent

Okay I officially feel sick right now.
These last few hours are dragging so so much...

Same, it's horrible! :frown:

Reply 3717

wolf-pack

Original post by Ndella

If I do apply for universities, the people will be laughing at me, I can just feel it :colondollar:

Omg, English is what I will change to if I fail history too!
I know its so annoying trying to get a job, when you need experience to get one, but need a job for experience :L. What unis are you considering?

Reply 3718

JFA 95

Original post by Arva

Should we make the examinations easier and less standardised to benefit the worse-resourced schools?

I agree with you that A-Levels suck, hugely, but I can't see how making the exams harder can be a bad thing.

Here's a good article on it:
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/alevel-reforms-will-reduce-access-say-vicechancellors-8755928.html?origin=internalSearch

Particularly;
"AS-levels ensure increased breadth post-16 and help students defer choices until they have a better grasp of subjects beyond GCSE."

"The proposed reforms are in our view detrimental to widening participation and fair admissions. The reforms will hamper transitions, deprive students of choice and flexibility and force them to commit to subjects which they may find entirely unsuitable as they mature academically and make choices about their future."

The point is the reforms would altogether eradicate AS Levels, which are used to ease the transition from GCSEs. They generally are more likely to benefit kids who have came from the 'worse' state schools because it is those kids that are less likely to be 'academic.' Oxbridge even agree.

My point of view is this; these reforms would only increase the system's dependency on examinations/standardised testing by weighing everything on those end of 2 year exams. It has been seen that state school kids do better with coursework than exams, and exams only really test the ability to time-keep and write fast, long essays etc, which anyway doesn't actually test true potential or employability at all.

I agree A-Levels need reforms, but I'd argue they need to be less standardised (and less reliant on mark schemes), not more as Gove insists. The only time during my A-Levels that I truly felt my true potential was being tested was when I a) wasn't rushed for time with my essays, and b) was doing the coursework for Lit and History. The same may not be right for the sciences or maths, but it's hard to argue examinations are really the best measurement of a child's intelligence. It's more so a measurement of how much aid they have been given in their time at school to be trained to perform well in such circumstances.
And lest we forget Gove is the most privileged and elite, indifferent prick to ever tread the Earth.