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A-Levels are Too Easy

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Reply 20
Original post by mikeymk
So true, by what have I've heard of the Physics, it seems to have a got worse, where they have merged the ISA paper into the exams, sounds like its got so much harder, and A Level Physics was hard before!!! Good luck to the ones that have to go through that.



Even if they had got easier, which isn't really something you can just say coz you've generalised every subject by every exam board and said they've got easier, but lets say they had, it wouldn't matter, the grade boundaries depend on how people preform and I presume they go by a mean population chart where the upper 5-10% get A-A* and the lower 5-10% of the population get D- Fail, so whether an exam is hard or not doesn't really matter, it where the person can do the best to be in that upper 5-10% or at least the middle range.


I never mentioned anything about grade boundaries, stop trying to make me look like a mug - I know how grade boundaries work. When I said "easier", I was referring to the content of the exams, and to be precise, the mean amount of marks that the population score on these tests I would assume to be higher; not a higher proportion of A/A* candidates. QED.
Reply 21
Original post by Pi/2
I never mentioned anything about grade boundaries, stop trying to make me look like a mug - I know how grade boundaries work. When I said "easier", I was referring to the content of the exams, and to be precise, the mean amount of marks that the population score on these tests I would assume to be higher; not a higher proportion of A/A* candidates. QED.


Firstly, why would I be trying to make you look like a mug? If anything, you're sticking up for people like me who have done their A-Levels and saying how its unfair that people from now on will have to put less work in to get to the same position.

Secondly, okay I'll give you that, on re-reading my post, it does sound like I'm being tedious explaining how grade boundaries work which is not what I was implying, but sorry, of course you know how they work as you've at the very least completed your GCSE's, I say that as you said not our fault in your original post so I presume you are doing A-levels now?

But my point still stands, when you apply to uni, what will they ask for, your grades, not what you know in terms of content, and yes, it may suck that you've not learnt as much as others in previous years, which I don't agree with as by what I've seen of maths, physics and chemistry at least, its the same content, just a different layout, but when you start uni, you will learn the same as much as everyone else in the one subject you enjoy the most which you plan to make a career out of, plus with exam boards teaching some material while others don't, the courses usually start of fresh with the assumption that no one has done that material before. I would say its the same for apprenticeships, you learn on the job.
Shut. The. ****. Up
Reply 23
Original post by mikeymk
Firstly, why would I be trying to make you look like a mug? If anything, you're sticking up for people like me who have done their A-Levels and saying how its unfair that people from now on will have to put less work in to get to the same position.

Secondly, okay I'll give you that, on re-reading my post, it does sound like I'm being tedious explaining how grade boundaries work which is not what I was implying, but sorry, of course you know how they work as you've at the very least completed your GCSE's, I say that as you said not our fault in your original post so I presume you are doing A-levels now?

But my point still stands, when you apply to uni, what will they ask for, your grades, not what you know in terms of content, and yes, it may suck that you've not learnt as much as others in previous years, which I don't agree with as by what I've seen of maths, physics and chemistry at least, its the same content, just a different layout, but when you start uni, you will learn the same as much as everyone else in the one subject you enjoy the most which you plan to make a career out of, plus with exam boards teaching some material while others don't, the courses usually start of fresh with the assumption that no one has done that material before. I would say its the same for apprenticeships, you learn on the job.


"it does sound like I'm being tedious explaining how grade boundaries work" - that's why I felt you were trying to make me look a mug. And of course the university experience will be the same. The point I was trying to get across was that the new AS Levels are being dumbed down, and the quality of education is slipping.
Original post by Pi/2
"it does sound like I'm being tedious explaining how grade boundaries work" - that's why I felt you were trying to make me look a mug. And of course the university experience will be the same. The point I was trying to get across was that the new AS Levels are being dumbed down, and the quality of education is slipping.


That's the quality of examination - not the quality of education...
Reply 25
Original post by cfbillingham
That's the quality of examination - not the quality of education...


Well arguably, it's both. Just think of the students and teachers who are going to revise from those papers next year...
Reply 26
Original post by Pi/2
Hi guys, as you can see from the thread title, I pretty much agree that the new a-level exams are too easy, I mean it's not our fault, but obviously the education secretary should change up the a-level playing field. Exam boards are asking ridiculously easy questions, and this is obviously unfair as previous years have sat daunting, but well set exams while we can just essentially sit "Mickey Mouse" exams. It honestly just defeats the purpose of calling these qualifications "A-Levels", the difficulty of these exams are incomparable with the difficulty of GCSE exams. The qualifications should be renamed to General Certificates of Secondary Education because it's honestly quid pro quo.


Are you joking? This should be 100% sarcasm.
Original post by Pi/2
Well arguably, it's both. Just think of the students and teachers who are going to revise from those papers next year...


Urmm what qualifications do you have?
Reply 28
Original post by Pi/2
"it does sound like I'm being tedious explaining how grade boundaries work" - that's why I felt you were trying to make me look a mug. And of course the university experience will be the same. The point I was trying to get across was that the new AS Levels are being dumbed down, and the quality of education is slipping.


But my point is that I don't agree with your point that they are being dumbed down, but even if they were, it won't matter as much when you get to uni.

Only coz I'm in the mood for a bit of a debate :colone: And I don't want to be repeating the same stuff coz thats a bit boring, what is your orginal post based on? Like a particular subject, you're own experiences or what you've read in the paper or whatever? I only ask as it sounds a bit to general the comment, as I said for Physics, maths and chemistry, but you could be doing English or History, so I just want to know what your sources are, coz if it is lets say history, then okay, I can't argue, I've not seen the material, but I can for the subjects I've done.
Reply 29
You are saying A-levels are easier when the new spec will have 3 exams for the sciences and the last paper will be based on everything being taught in the past 2 years? AS papers will not be based on units any longer, you will have to know the context for both of your exams.. That is not easy.
OP takes A Level Gender Studies.
Reply 31
Original post by mikeymk
But my point is that I don't agree with your point that they are being dumbed down, but even if they were, it won't matter as much when you get to uni.

Only coz I'm in the mood for a bit of a debate :colone: And I don't want to be repeating the same stuff coz thats a bit boring, what is your orginal post based on? Like a particular subject, you're own experiences or what you've read in the paper or whatever? I only ask as it sounds a bit to general the comment, as I said for Physics, maths and chemistry, but you could be doing English or History, so I just want to know what your sources are, coz if it is lets say history, then okay, I can't argue, I've not seen the material, but I can for the subjects I've done.


Well, I'm actually sitting the new AS Spec exams, and for revision I have done every past G481/G482 and the Physics breadth and depth paper was nothing like the past physics exams and it seemed a lot easier. I've also sat the Chemistry breadth and that was also incredibly easy. I also do Maths and Further Maths, but they have not changed though.
Reply 32
Original post by NickLCFC
OP takes A Level Gender Studies.


Think you mean General Studies and no I don't. Wouldn't refer to it as an A-Level, more like a waste of time.
i think the most difficult exam i'll sit this year is FP2.. absolutely everything else is a walk in the park compared to FP2
Original post by Pi/2
Think you mean General Studies and no I don't. Wouldn't refer to it as an A-Level, more like a waste of time.


Nope, I meant Gender Studies, I'm aware it doesn't exist.
.

Spoiler

Original post by Pi/2
Urmm, 12 A*s at GCSE, FSMQ (AS) - A and an EPQ... You?


They're only easy for you, can't speak for everyone.
And I got A's and B's my my GCSEs if you wanna know
Reply 36
Original post by oni176
You are saying A-levels are easier when the new spec will have 3 exams for the sciences and the last paper will be based on everything being taught in the past 2 years? AS papers will not be based on units any longer, you will have to know the context for both of your exams.. That is not easy.


You'll have a whole 2 years for just 3 exams for each science. It's really not that bad. Yes I know, it's actually called synoptic assessment and I've sat the new AS papers, it's fair to say that they are easier.
Reply 37
Original post by Kyle1198
They're only easy for you, can't speak for everyone.
And I got A's and B's my my GCSEs if you wanna know


Not really, I know quite a significant amount of others who thought the new AS exams were a lot easier than old spec. And I didn't really want to know that.
Original post by Pi/2
The new specification AS Levels, and FYI, I'm doing Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry.


So I'm assuming you found the physics exam today terribly tedious? And, of course, the chemistry exam tomorrow will be a walk in the park also?

I don't really believe this is for real. If you compare the past AQA physics spec papers with the one I sat today then there is no way that old specs are harder. The same is true for biology and chemistry.
i feel sorry for the current students sitting the new spec exams because your AS UMS can't count towards your final A2 grade.. right now the only thing saving me from getting a B in A2 further maths is my high UMS from last year. maybe that's why they're easier - to soften that blow.

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