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

I expect a full set of A*s, anything less than that is reprehensible and shameful.

I'm from Asian family. I cannot bring shame to the family.

I think, unfortunately you are right. I do believe, however, that the word intelligence is misused here, and should be replaced with "education". People have natural intelligence, but are just put at a disadvantage to those who are better educated - which makes it seem as though that the former isn't as intelligent as the latter. Your attitude is quite alarming, also.

I agree that the children of pushy parents do better than their intellect might predict. However, I suspect that friend is still smarter than average, even if he isn't 'Oxford level' of smart. My point was that pushing your child to engage in education and encouraging them will make them smarter. It's purely a practice effect - if you force your child to do extra work, they will become smarter.

Pushy parenting ≠ wealth and connections. My family have always pushed me to do as well as I can so that I can be in a better position than them when I am their age. They realise they haven't always taken the best paths in their lives and they want me to do well for myself. I am extremely grateful to my parents for their attitude towards my work at school. They aren't wealthy and I don't go to private school, nor I have never had a private tutor.

I didn't mean to alarm you
They just seem so much more hassle than the ISAs

So you say due to equal opportunities would you be fine if someone dictates you , that you are not aloud to invest your hard earned money in your child (no private tutors etc) would you feel it's fair? My parents spent their life earning money and they spent it on my education. Why not?! Would you not allow some children wearing designer clothes?? Or would take away iPads from more fortunate children

That's my point - that wealth does not intrinsically make you smarter, it's environmental effects. However, I disagree that this is due to their superior education - it's because of their superior upbringing. Their parents are more educated, tend to know more about eating healthily, are more likely to read with their children and discuss more advanced ideas around them.

Of course being rich doesn't make you smart, it's a correlation. That's my whole point. But you, and another, were denying that there was even a correlation between wealth and intelligence.

Being stalking this thread while I've being banned, quite nervous now, at least my supervisor has allowed me to take a day off work during results day

Yeah, I'd have a talk with your economics teacher and bio teacher and see which one you think you can be most successful in. Personally, for the A2 exams I feel you get an adequate amount of time, you've got 2 hours which is certainly do able but it is a lot of writing, there's no point sugar coating it.

Oh they may do, I'm not 100% but I'm sure they have ways of figuring out which one is your chosen answer

That's my point - that wealth does not intrinsically make you smarter, it's environmental effects. However, I disagree that this is due to their superior education - it's because of their superior upbringing. Their parents are more educated, tend to know more about eating healthily, are more likely to read with their children and discuss more advanced ideas around them.

Of course being rich doesn't make you smart, it's a correlation. That's my whole point. But you, and another, were denying that there was even a correlation between wealth and intelligence.

ISA grade boundaries have much higher grade boundaries because schools cheat! They are basically the same though in terms of the actual practical!

True about my friend.

However my first point is more about the difference between smart/intelligent and simply knowing a lot of stuff. It might just be that we have slightly different definitions but I'll clarify anyway.
Imo (and I think also in some official measures) smartness/intelligent means how quickly you can grasp new concepts you're exposed to, and so is a inherent ability. (Obviously you might be able to improve that as you mature, grow up etc..) So I agree with what you say if substituting "knowing more stuff" for smarter, but not if smarter is a synonym for intelligence as I've just defined it.
And even if you mean knowing more stuff, the extra work might not stay in the child's head for long.

Out of curiosity as to what you meant, what exactly do you you mean when you use the word smarter?

Welcome back, you be a good boy now!

I think, unfortunately you are right. I do believe, however, that the word intelligence is misused here, and should be replaced with "education". People have natural intelligence, but are just put at a disadvantage to those who are better educated - which makes it seem as though that the former isn't as intelligent as the latter. Your attitude is quite alarming, also.

Yes but still your argument that wealthy people are intrinsically more intelligent is wrong they just have better education because they went to private school. The £££ running through their veins from birth does not supply their brain with more intelligence.

I think the only thing that can be gleaned from your conclusion is prejudice, and certainly not truth, because as I said, it's so hard to determine what the causal effects are for someone to be intelligent.

You are confusing intelligence with academic achievement.

Wealthy kids who actually have an average or below average intelligence are almost always going to perform better academically because they can afford private school, the best textbooks, tutors if needed, etc. However, once they leave school this will drop like a stone since as you get older it becomes increasingly more difficult to buy academic success.

However, families who have been consistently wealthy over many generations do tend to more intelligent. They aren't intelligent because they are wealthy; rather they are wealthy because they are intelligent, and they pass on their intelligence and values to their children who proceed to also be intelligent and therefore successful and wealthy.

They are two different causal links:

No no NO! You're not at all right here, the point being made is that richer people on average (I'm talking about doctors and the like rather than super rich) are cleverer than average, as they've all been good enough to get into, say medical school. They then pass on these genes to their children, so they tend to do better.

It's tricky to separate this from support in upbringing, I know, but genes must be at least part of the picture.