Are A-levels too easy? POLL

Poll

What do you think of the difficulty of A-levels at the moment?

As it's results day tomorrow (good luck to those of you awaiting the dreaded brown envelope) I thought it'd be interesting to gauge your views as to the current difficulty of A-levels, in general.

Obviously there are differences between courses - but in general, do you think A-levels are currently too easy, too hard or just right?

Some statistics from the 2012 results;

1. Eight per cent of papers sat by boys scored the top A* grade, compared to only 7.9 per cent for girls.

2. However, the results showed that girls were still more successful overall as they attained a higher number of qualifications at grade A and above.Twenty-seven per cent of all girls' entries got grades of A or above compared with 25.8 per cent given to boys' entries. The gap between the genders is even more noticeable when looking at grades of A* to B, with 54.7 per cent of girls' exams achieving that level and 50.2 per cent of boys' papers.

3. Across both sexes, the proportion of A-level papers scoring A or A* dropped for the first time in 21 years.

4. In total, 26.6 per cent of exams were given one of the two highest grades, down from 27 per cent last year - believed to be the biggest drop since the qualification was introduced in the 1950s.

5.The last time the proportion of A-levels scoring the top grade dropped was in 1991, when 11.9 per cent of papers were awarded an A compared to 12 per cent in 1990.

6. The overall A* to E pass rate has risen for the 30th year in a row. Some 98 per cent of exams achieved at least an E, compared to 97.8 per cent last year.

(edited 10 years ago)

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Reply 1

Swanbow

For the subjects I studied I think they were just right, and the step to degree level wasn't that noticeably different.

Reply 2

DolallyDucky

This thread pains me as I await the piece of paper that will ascertain my future education.

But I would say it really depends on the course. I took Chemistry, Biology, Computing, Maths and Further Maths.
I found Chemistry ridiculously hard, Maths (Decision and Statistics modules were stupidly easy) and Biology fair to middling, and Computing were the easiest exams I've ever sat. So mixed bunch really :tongue:

Reply 3

Robbie242

Obviously quite a few are easy, most notably maths but there are still others which prove quite a challenge, although some of these are subjective as well so that doesn't help either.

Maths A-level doesn't prepare you fully for maths at degree level but it does give you an incentive to go beyond your studies which can benefit individuals very much. I'm confused on which side to take because on the one hand I'm glad a-levels didn't destroy me but on the other hand this is a bias opinion which is catered to my needs. I certainly see what is wrong with A-level maths atm though.

Reply 4

Ben Kenobi

Are A-levels too easy relative to what? I did four science A-Levels and they were alright for me. Certainly harder than GCSEs

Reply 5

username878045

Mostly just right. There are a few (maths, for example) which are too easy in the sense that grade boundaries are too high. There should always be leeway for stupid mistakes for getting the top grade. However, in maths you can make a couple of arithmetic errors and lose out on the A*, meaning that the people can get the best grades merely by learning how to implement the exam technique, whereas someone who understands the material still has a decent chance of missing out on the top grade.

Reply 6

Aspiringlawstudent

Original post by PythianLegume

Eh?

Reply 7

username878045

Original post by Aspiringlawstudent

Eh?

Sorry if I worded that badly. I mean that making a stupid mistake like an arithmetic error should not prevent you from getting the best grade. Everyone makes mistakes - exams should be about who actually understands and can use the material well, not who can make the fewest stupid errors.

Reply 8

charlie4590

Original post by PythianLegume

I don't think this makes sense?
Low boundaries would be easier, not high?

Reply 9

username878045

Original post by charlie4590

I don't think this makes sense?
Low boundaries would be easier, not high?

I don't mean that they should leave the exams the same and lower the boundaries. They should make the exams harder, so the boundaries lower and the people who get the highest marks are those who can answer the harder questions, not the ones who make the fewest mistakes.

Reply 10

yepyepyep

Original post by Ben Kenobi

Are A-levels too easy relative to what? I did four science A-Levels and they were alright for me. Certainly harder than GCSEs

...How did you do four science A-levels when there are only three sciences? Or are you including maths?

Reply 11

username1039383

Whoever says Alevels are easy deserves to have all my heavy textbooks thrown at them

Reply 12

Aspiringlawstudent

Original post by PythianLegume

Oh no, I got what you meant - I just don't understand why you'd want people that made mistakes to get the best grade.

A* students shouldn't be making 'stupid mistakes' in exams.

Reply 13

username878045

Original post by Aspiringlawstudent

Oh no, I got what you meant - I just don't understand why you'd want people that made mistakes to get the best grade.

A* students shouldn't be making 'stupid mistakes' in exams.

If I give a group of people a test on basic addition and conclude that the person who got the best mark was the best at maths, would you agree? A 10-year-old could get full marks, but a Professor could make an easy mistake. The Professor is clearly the better mathematician.

Why do you think university exams are done so that 70% is the top grade? It's so that there is still plenty of room to differentiate above the top band, and so talented people can still get the top grades even if they were to make a few mistakes.

Reply 14

Infinity_4652

Original post by Secretnerd123

Whoever says Alevels are easy deserves to have all my heavy textbooks thrown at them

How heavy are your textbooks? All of mine are really thin.

Reply 15

Poolwizard

way harder than GCSes...

Reply 16

Aspiringlawstudent

Original post by PythianLegume

Sorry, but I don't agree with your premise - if you're taking an exam and can't be bothered to read the questions carefully, you should not be getting the top grade. If you're making careless mistakes, you're just not A* material.

Reply 17

Sam_Coburn

Well they are definitely harder now due to so many idiots retaking.... Making it harder for the rest of us who would like jan exams... When we have to take all of them in june... Not fair on us...

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