Rant About Edexcel C2 Maths - Why Hard Work Doesn't Guarantee Success

Has anyone ever said on this site that if you applied yourself and worked hard you would be certain to get an A at A level Maths? Well what a load of utter nonsense that is!

I started thoroughly revising from last February, I put EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING that wasn't revision to one side. I did as many past papers for C1 and C2 as I could possibly get done. I treated them as if my life depended on those exams. I was strategic and organised with my revision and my parents were kind enough to even pay for extra Maths tuition because the Maths teaching at my college is just so bad.

I only got a low B or a high C out of those two exams assuming the model mark schemes are correct while SOME (not all) of those annoying grammar school students who get 100UMS in Maths exams brag about their achievements allover TSR. What point are they trying to prove? That students who have higher quality of teaching and often in some cases rich parents achieve good results? Those lucky twerps.

Say what you like, I needed to take 5 minutes off revision to moan about this. I'm still determined to resit these exams next year, again and again if I have to until I get an A. But never for one moment say that ALL people who know how to revise and work hard get above 80UMS because it's NOT TRUE.

Don't say on the other hand that people who can't get an A at AS Maths are not intelligent enough or mathematically capable because that's pathetic and arrogant. ANYONE whose done minimum revision can have a lucky day and do just as well as someone whose worked ten times harder.

Oh but wait, one last thing.The torys are going to be reforming A levels in September 2017, so next year the specification expires meaning resits will no longer be possible and people will have to adapt to a much more horrible system. For me its Russell group or nowhere. I hate the thought of the torys tainting A levels with their foolish, nostalgia-goggled attitudes, as if we need tear out all of the pages of educations development back to the 1960s.

Fine torys, if I have to flush my head in the toilet and drink from it EVERY morning until I get an A, I effing will.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

SatanicGecko

'higher quality of teaching and rich parents'

Bit of a sweeping generalisation about grammar schools and their students there.

Reply 2

Killerpenguin15

Somebody's had a bit of a rough day.. .

Quite a lot of people try really hard for exams, and come out with low grades. The trick is to work smarter not harder, not the other way around. Otherwise you get so burnt out with revision studying becomes counter-productive!

Reply 3

mysteryme

I dont really use this website for discussions or anything. But my friend told me today that they put up the exams mark schemes on here after the exams, so i checked the model mark scheme for C2; can i just that what you've said up there is 101% accurate for me as well. I totally agree with what you have said. I was very confident that I'll like the C2 paper but I came out of the exam feeling heart-broken. :'(

Reply 4

Angelo12231

Original post by Gwaine

You're going to have to deal with it, its not surprising that we have to compete with grammar school students because the worlds just not fair, but you shouldn't really give a **** about what other people are getting or you'll just make yourself even more pissed.

You can still resit next year though

Reply 5

Gwaine

Original post by Killerpenguin15

What you've said is perfectly rational. It is more about quality than quantity.

Reply 6

studyHELP!

I'm sure the 'grammer school' kids would have worked hard to get '100 UMS' and so why shouldn't they be proud. I see what you mean (I found C2 hard as well!) but it is bad to generalise, especially when it is really the exam board's doing for the toughness of the paper.

Reply 7

Bobjim12

May i ask why you have chosen Edexcel C2 as the example exam? Was it stupidly difficult or something?

Reply 8

econam

At the end of the day it was the same for everyone so it's not unfair. It was a hard exam and the grade boundaries will reflect how everyone did.

Reply 9

henna_kc

Original post by SatanicGecko

'higher quality of teaching and rich parents'

Bit of a sweeping generalisation about grammar schools and their students there.

Lol. I go to a grammar school and my parents aren't rich at all :s-smilie:

also, not speaking for all grammar schools, but the quality of teaching at my school is definitely no different to any other state secondary school in my area. The only reason we have such high pass rates is because there's 10x more pressure on us to get As and A*s otherwise you've basically 'failed' (obviously I disagree with this but it's not classed as good enough if you don't get the highest grades). If you get below an A you feel shame actually saying 'oh I got a B', hence why our pass rates tend to be so much higher. The teaching is pretty rubbish if I'm honest so I'm currently teaching myself 3 A Levels at once because school can't seem to do it well enough :ashamed2:

Reply 10

Kevin De Bruyne

Are you at a Russel Group uni now, Mr OP?

Reply 11

xcolumbinekid420

Original post by kevin de bruyne

are you at a russel group uni now, mr op?

ahahahahhahahhhaha

Reply 12

DPLSK

Gwaine

Has anyone ever said on this site that if you applied yourself and worked hard you would be certain to get an A at A level Maths? Well what a load of utter nonsense that is!

As mentioned previously, the trick is to work smarter, not harder. I've spent quite a lot of time recently working on a couple of threads to illustrate this point.

How To Revise A-Level Maths & Further Maths:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4729614&p=71599172#post71599172

How To Spend Your Time Leading Up To a Maths Exam:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4734572&p=71641116#post71641116

I was fortunate enough to learn this whilst studying mathematics, and my grades benefited from that knowledge. I hope that it serves another generation of mathematicians, as the knowledge no longer serves me.

Here's some quick tips to improve your grades second time around:

1) Befriend people that are incredibly disciplined and produce high grades.

I had a friend, Arshad, who was incredibly hard working. I was sat next to him throughout my GCSEs, and his attitude rubbed off on me. It's also where I got the idea to revise from past papers, because he was forever doing it.

2) Refine your exam technique.

I've met a lot of people that don't practice past papers under exam conditions leading up to an exam. I believe this is a mistake. You need to put yourself under that pressure to know where your weak points are.

3) Teach others what you know.

You don't have to be good at teaching to start teaching, you just need to be willing to put the time into understanding the subject matter. Teaching your peers forces you to raise the bar in regards to your academic performance.

Finally, remember that we all face setbacks, but it is how we deal with them that determines what we get out of them.