Anyone else have 0 faith in the exam system?

Scroll to see replies

Remarks that come back 3 grades higher give me no faith in the exam system.. what about if someone needed that grade to get into University but decided not to get it remarked.. I think that the examiners don't realise how Important exams are to people.

Reply 161

Aspiringlawstudent

Anyone else notice it tends to be people that have done poorly in exams that don't like them? :rolleyes:

Reply 162

lubus

Original post by Azland

Why do you think your opinion of business matters? Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. It's not anyone's place to judge.

I actually do business a level

Reply 163

rac1

I have a very small amount of faith in the exams system, but I pretty much agree with you. . therefore I've decided to sign this.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/16672
The reason AQA may seem to be the worst could be because most exams are sat with them.

Reply 164

Freiheit

Original post by Aspiringlawstudent

Anyone else notice it tends to be people that have done poorly in exams that don't like them? :rolleyes:

I always see the trend. If you get an A or A* you love the exam board but if you get a U you hate them so much :biggrin:

. I find all my exam boards decent.

Reply 165

Chihiro94

Original post by Aspiringlawstudent

Anyone else notice it tends to be people that have done poorly in exams that don't like them? :rolleyes:

I got 3 A's and I still hate the exam boards/system.

Reply 166

Azland

Original post by lubus

I actually do business a level

I do Maths and Economics but that does not mean what I say holds true for everyone does it? So you find business easy..good for you but should the rest aswell? There are people who find science subjects easy and struggle with essay based subjects aswell. Its not unusual and there's nothing wrong in it. On a personal note I find that people who do science subjects can adapt to being book smart while essay based papers are a bit more subjective. One cannot simply conclude which is easier then the other.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 167

username418231

Yes, I also have zero faith in the exam system.

Reply 168

Melikeyflute

Another reason I dislike the exam board is the ridiculously expensive cost of getting a remark (55 quid is it?). That in itself acts as a deterrent for people. I got 1 mark off a grade B when realistically I should have got somewhere around an A but now I'm probably just going to resit the exam...

Reply 169

mucgoo

Original post by Melikeyflute

You get it refunded if your mark get increased even by a single point. If you think you did well in that exam but still got a C then get a remark. More than likely you'll get a better mark this time round. If you know you had a bad day then resit.

Reply 170

hash007

Original post by Miracle Day

Yes. People that do Sciences are lucky in the respect that they're answers are black and white, whereas we face the brunt of subjective markers. For example, in Psychology we know exactly what questions will come up. My teacher set us homework to answer one, I copied a model answer from the WJEC book to see what I'd get and I got a 6/12 instead of a 12/12 as it says in the book. Bare in mind both questions are exactly the same.

Problems:
Inconsistent markers
There should be one exam board
Time doesn't measure ability, it just loses marks.

Guys we have to do something.. We're the biggest Student forum in the UK for god sake! We've had the education minister do a Q&A session here..

WE HAVE INFLUENCE.

That's not true! In my mock chemistry exam, with barely any revision I got an A. Yet when I comes to my real exam, after hours of revision, I get a C... :lolwut:

It made me quite mad, going to resit in the Summer.

Reply 171

Miracle Day

Original post by hash007

That's not true! In my mock chemistry exam, with barely any revision I got an A. Yet when I comes to my real exam, after hours of revision, I get a C... :lolwut:

It made me quite mad, going to resit in the Summer.

Get the paper back then?

Reply 172

bethany18

Could this be right? I did maths d1 exam in January and there is someone on this forum that puts the answers up the next day, I marked of what I could remember and think I got around 50 out of 75, got the results back, a U :/ 22 out of 75. Surely I haven't subconsciously given my self 30 extra marks, don't get me wrong I have probably give myself a few extra but not 30?! I don't know what to do, either get a remark for£40 (do you really get refunded if you go up by a mark?) and also sign for the resit in may just incase, does anyone know if you can pull out of a resit and get your money back? or have to sit the exam again in may even though i genuinely feel that I got more that a U. Also this is my last chance for exams as im hoping to go to uni in September. Anyone? :frown:

Reply 173

ummm

Exams just take ALL the fun out of learning. I just don't find it interesting, but instead a major chore to learn definitions word for word, and remember which 'key words' they want to see. It's ridiculous! And it's scary how many stories you hear of people getting remarks and it going up like two whole grades. Makes you think...

Reply 174

liverpool_x

Original post by Akbar2k7

I cant agree with you more there are so many examples of this.

So so far in maths I've got an A* at GCSE and 100% in C1, you would assume I'm alright at maths?
GCSE was easy and I had three cousins helping me with C1...

So I wanna study Biology, and the exam system suggest im an E grade student on Cells and Microscopy and 100% on C1... if you knew me in person you'd think 100% is the biggest miracle ever (a few days ago on tsr... I forgot how to expand and simplify brackets!

Reply 175

Kalliope

Original post by Choppyy

What annoys me is exams where you are forced to learn all the content through fear of failing but then you're tested on approx 20% of the topics (Economics/English Lit from experience). This surely can't be the very best method of distinguishing the quality of A level students.

This is definitely the most annoying thing.

Damn subjective Arts subjects. I'm lucky, I do very well in exams, but I can't help feeling they aren't the best way of gauging ability.

Reply 176

HeyyImRyan

I don't think they realise how much of an impact they have on people's futures. The difference between a B and an A grade could literally be the difference between Oxbridge or no Oxbridge for people. You could argue "Well, they should've revised harder", but that isn't always the case. They could've worked hard throughout their years in education, including in the build-up to exams, but due to the fault of an examiner all their work could still leave them short of their aspirations!

Reply 177

Agenda Suicide

Original post by ShredMaster

I do. I take both types of subjects. I know which ones are easier. Please do not tell me that Geography/Business can even compare to complex mathematical theorems, something that your mind could not grasp. I am so sick of people who take easy subjects acting like the sciences are rote-learned rubbish. Utterly untrue. Try it before you say anything mr "you-have-no-idea-I-am-superior-because-I-take-the-easiest-subjects-available". Art is difficult - that is true subjectivity. History certainly ain't. Just copy what they say in the text-books.

It's funny you say that because bar history, I've not taken any of the subjects you've mentioned.

I don't trust somebody to not be a troll when they say history is easy and art is difficult.

That and you shot yourself in the foot, sciences are a lot more easy to copy from the book than the likes of history. Try copying what you read on a history syllabus and you'll need a month long exam.

Reply 178

Choppyy

Original post by Kalliope

This is definitely the most annoying thing.

Damn subjective Arts subjects. I'm lucky, I do very well in exams, but I can't help feeling they aren't the best way of gauging ability.

The dodgiest range of marks I've seen has been across the humanities subjects such as History/English Lit. At AS level in History last year there was a girl (who has now been offered a place to read History at Cambridge) who scored 62/100 before being upgraded by the chief examiner to 94/100. Had she not done that, I seriously doubt she would've applied in the first place.

I understand that essays at A level are a building block for dissertations etc. at university, however they do have significant flaws. What one may classify to be an exceptionally strong essay, a critic may well rip to shreds.

Reply 179

Ra Ra Ra

All these stories on here have made me wonder if asking for a copy of my January History exam would be the right thing to do. That exam was honestly one of the only times that I have come out feeling rather good about how well I did; yet, I got a C. Usually when it comes to low grades it's because I haven't revised and I deserve them, but should I get a copy?

Another question: what's the difference between a Photocopy Script and an Original Script?