CSE's O'Levels how were they graded?

Please can someone sort out an argument between my friend and I?
The old style Exams in secoindary school
He says CSE's and O'LEVELS WERE GIVEN GRADES SUCH AS
1,2,3
I say they were graded a,b,c
who is correct?

Reply 1

davidcy147

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCE_Ordinary_Level

"Originally O-Level passes were at Grades 1 through 6, with grades 7 to 9 being a fail. Most examination boards later introduced a standard system of grading with A, B, C, D and E as passing grades and U (Unclassified) as failing grade. Exams graded U were not listed in the certificate. In the 1970s the University of London joined the standard system of grading."

So, in essence, it depends which time you were referring to, as to who was right.

Reply 2

PhoenixFortune

Your friend is right. My mum's CSEs were graded with numbers.

Reply 3

tomcuk123

My Mum's CSEs were graded with numbers, in the 1980s

Reply 4

sirmanfa

Ha Thought I was right,never mind.Thanks for the replies.
So CSE's Aand O'LEVELS were both graded with numbers

Reply 5

Eckaslike

I went to school in the 1980s when CSEs and O'Levels were used at the same time. This is where the confusion has arisen between the two of you. The two systems used different methods of grading. CSE's used numbers as grades, whereas O'Levels used letters.

No coursework was taken into account. Your score was wholly determined by how you performed in the exams.

You had to get an A, B or C to pass an O'Level otherwise if you got a D or E you had failed it. Grade 1 at CSE was the equivalent of a C pass at O'Level.

Reply 6

Mazzahaywood51

Yes.... cse’s were graded with numbers, and O levels were graded with letters.... I remember because I got an o level grade d in Art .... and all my cse’s were number graded. I still got a certificate for my o level grade d

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 7

Purdy7

The CSEs were a multiple choice style set of exams The highest mark was 1 which was a C O'level equivalent. They went from 1 to 5 if I remember rightly.

The O'level were mostly essay based and all your course and pass mark was based on the one exam and not on the modular system. The O'level was in between the CSE and A'Level, so one had to do at least the Os to get into the A levels.

The O levels went from A-E; with the A being the top mark, the star system was a relatively new thing, and never existed during the main period of the use of this type of grading.

Thus the hierarchy was:

A levels
O levels ) these equal the now GCSE higher and foundation, thus nothing much has changed just the two are now combined into one grade system.
CSEs )

As usual the employers didn't like the system, the CSEs were totally ignored by them with only the grade 1 (c grade O'level) being recognised, however the majority of children taking the CSEs weren't told this before leaving school.

It's not the schools and the Government that control the educational system, but the employers who accept the grades as to be a certain standard of education, thus the recent changes when they thought the exam passes didn't reflect the knowledge of the school leavers.

Reply 8

Arran90

Original post by Purdy7

As usual the employers didn't like the system

Some employers liked the system. For example the mathematics O Level was 'real' maths like algebra and trigonometry whereas the CSE was arithmetic and everyday maths. A grade 1 CSE carried a clearer message than a C grade GCSE which is totally ambiguous from the perspective of what knowledge the applicant has.

Reply 9

Doones

Ancient thread, now closed.

When I did my O-levels they were grades. And CSEs were numbers.

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