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Module Marks!! Your opinion!!

Popa Dom

I personally think the problem should be solved by making As harder to get rather than demanding more consistency.

Someone told me that it would be possible to get A* and A** grades at A level by the end of the decade, which is similar to what you are asking for.

Whether this is true or not I'm not sure.

Reply 21

Trundle

2

kellywood_5

Yes, although as far as I know universities are only asking for module grades at the moment as opposed to marks.

That's strange because for Cambridge, I had to give them all my individual unit UMS from AS. Did you not do this for the college where you applied? I hated the idea when I found out!!

Reply 22

sugardaddy

1

Trundle

That's strange because for Cambridge, I had to give them all my individual unit UMS from AS. Did you not do this for the college where you applied? I hated the idea when I found out!!

That's correct - Cambridge issue this privately (not through UCAS). Therefore, if the whole 'UMS grade' addition to the UCAS application were to go ahead, I don't think it would affect Cambridge's application process. With that said, knowing how Cambridge have been using this information in their admissions, and what effect it has had, would be a good way in which to base this argument.

Overall- I think it is a good idea. If universities are having difficulty distinguishing between candidates, then what's the point of having this academic information, which would serve a vital tool, and not disclosing it.

Reply 23

1sun

sugardaddy, what happened to those economic papers?

Reply 24

~CAROLINE~

11

Something needs to be changed cos the current system really isnt fair! I really dont see how module marks would change much tho cos schools still predict better grades for students they like! Some of my module marks were sent to the unis but it didnt make much difference in terms of the offers i got! Someone in my year is predicted AAB but actually got BCDE at AS and she ended up gettin 6 top offers but i got AABB predicted ABB at A2 and neither of the offers i wanted! They need to get consistancy from the schools not scrutinise pupils every mark!

Reply 25

Lewisy-boy

11

Its only a matter of time until one of the following happens:

People get so fed up of the a-level system that they are abolished and the baccaleaueate system adopted.

The private schools get pissed off and create their own exam system, or join the baccaleaureate system.

All universities introduce standard entrance exams to supplement a-levels etc.

Personally I think all you can do is get A's and hope for the best... I got 4 A's but got rejected by 3 good places, was lucky to get into notts for law I guess cos of the competition!! They go as much on your personal statement as anything else also, so you have to make sure thats good ... dont just count on grades.

Personally I think we should return to a grammar school system with an 11+, there are a number of reasons for this. i) It allows the people who SHOULD be going to uni (the top 25% of people maximum) to flourish, ii) it doesn't force kids who arent academic to do stuff they hate, iii) the people who should never go to uni but do and come out with debt and an identical earning potential with the same job as if they hadnt gone in the first place could do something worthwhile for those 3 years, iv) cos of so many people going into higher education, we are left with the total TOTAL scum as tradesmen who are totally useless and hence why people get pissed off at them, years ago the decent people went into this but now they go to uni and waste it doing a worthless degree.

Im pretty negative about our current system, but the gov will never go for 11+ as its discrim, but personally its fair enough... the kids who fail it would probaly bunk off school during the academic period and fail it anyway so at the end of the day at least try and teach them something they are interested in.

Rant over.

Reply 26

Popa Dom

2

Lewis-HuStuJCR

ii) it doesn't force kids who arent academic to do stuff they hate,

And as for the kids who find their academic side after the age of 11? Or those who simply do badly in the exams? Sentenced to a life of mind-numbing drudgery before they've even started shaving? Doesnt seem like the fairest of systems to me.. And what about when there are too many girls in the grammar schools because at that age they tend to be more advanced? Positively discriminate in favor of boys like they used to, forcing otherwise able girls to give up on their aspirations? Or let the boys sink because their brain structure tends to make them slolwer at developing? The grammar school system was scrapped for a reason, and I certainly dont think the way forward is to revive such a life-destroying institution.

Reply 27

sandettielightvessel

1

Hmm. I suppose from the POV of the universities, they will be able to differentiate between candidates - but again I thought one of the reasons for A levels being modular is that if you screw up on one module (for whatever reason - the exam just went particularly badly for you, the stuff in the exam was your weakest area etc.) you will be able to recover the marks elsewhere. But if the university is scrutinising your every mark, even though you may come out with an A at the end, if you slipped up on one exam you'd be stuck. Students will be under even more pressure to perform in each and every exam. What next, will they demand to see every piece of homework since year 7?

Reply 28

kellywood_5

17

~CAROLINE~

Something needs to be changed cos the current system really isnt fair! I really dont see how module marks would change much tho cos schools still predict better grades for students they like! Some of my module marks were sent to the unis but it didnt make much difference in terms of the offers i got! Someone in my year is predicted AAB but actually got BCDE at AS and she ended up gettin 6 top offers but i got AABB predicted ABB at A2 and neither of the offers i wanted! They need to get consistancy from the schools not scrutinise pupils every mark!

But on the other hand, if pupils were forced to declare module marks, surely the unis would then be able to take predicted grades with a pinch of salt? If one student got BCD in their modules but was predicted a B, they might be wary of giving that person an offer, whereas another student with AAB in their modules might be more likely to get an offer even if they were only predicted a B.

Reply 29

kellywood_5

17

Popa Dom

And as for the kids who find their academic side after the age of 11? Or those who simply do badly in the exams? Sentenced to a life of mind-numbing drudgery before they've even started shaving? Doesnt seem like the fairest of systems to me.. And what about when there are too many girls in the grammar schools because at that age they tend to be more advanced? Positively discriminate in favor of boys like they used to, forcing otherwise able girls to give up on their aspirations? Or let the boys sink because their brain structure tends to make them slolwer at developing? The grammar school system was scrapped for a reason, and I certainly dont think the way forward is to revive such a life-destroying institution.

Agreed. Personally I think comprehensive schools but with sets based on academic ability for every subject are the best solution. It's true that some people develop at a later age than others, and it's far easier to move sets than it is to move schools. Also, being deemed a failure and forced into a vocational education at such a young age would undoubtedly have a negative effect on the student and make them less likely to want to learn.

Reply 30

Lewisy-boy

11

OK maybe not 11 but just before starting GCSEs, by 14 you certainly can pick out the wasters...

anyway my main point was that only 25% of pupils should go to uni, the rest should go straight into employment and stop wasting their time with a pointless degree like management, film etc which does you no good.

Reply 31

dragons_circle

Lewis-HuStuJCR

only 25% of pupils should go to uni, the rest should go straight into employment and stop wasting their time with a pointless degree like management, film etc which does you no good.

That's a bit harsh! Not to mention the fact that universities are bankrupt enough already without dropping all their most popular courses.

About the UCAS module grades: I reckon universities will also use them as a further condition for offers, eg. ABB with A in maths (C3/C4 above 75), to stop those who ace their ASs but get Ds in A2, ending on Bs overall.

Reply 32

kellywood_5

17

dragons_circle

About the UCAS module grades: I reckon universities will also use them as a further condition for offers, eg. ABB with A in maths (C3/C4 above 75), to stop those who ace their ASs but get Ds in A2, ending on Bs overall.

Which ties in with resits really because it's very rare for people to ace their ASs and then get Ds at A2 unless they did loads of resits for their ASs. But if universities are allowed to see the number of resits and the original marks as well as module grades, people will be discouraged from doing too many anyway.

Reply 33

KerriT

9

I know it's very likely that someone with AAA in their modules at AS did better than someone with AAB or ABB it is definitely not true. You can get full marks in one module and almost As in the others whereas someone with AAA could have scraped those As.

Reply 34

kellywood_5

17

KerriT

I know it's very likely that someone with AAA in their modules at AS did better than someone with AAB or ABB it is definitely not true. You can get full marks in one module and almost As in the others whereas someone with AAA could have scraped those As.

Yeah, true. Then I suppose it would come down to whether a university prefers a student who is excellent across the whole subject or one who is amazing at a third of the subject and pretty good at the rest.

Reply 35

crazy_white_bunny

And as for the kids who find their academic side after the age of 11? Or those who simply do badly in the exams? Sentenced to a life of mind-numbing drudgery before they've even started shaving? Doesnt seem like the fairest of systems to me.. And what about when there are too many girls in the grammar schools because at that age they tend to be more advanced? Positively discriminate in favor of boys like they used to, forcing otherwise able girls to give up on their aspirations? Or let the boys sink because their brain structure tends to make them slolwer at developing? The grammar school system was scrapped for a reason, and I certainly dont think the way forward is to revive such a life-destroying institution.

I had to take an 11+ style exam as in gloucestershire we still have the grammer school system. I passed the exam and went to an all girls grammer school. There are also all boys grammer schools so their are equal numbers of boys and girls at grammer schools. However those who don't pass it just go to normal comp's like in the rest of the country and it is possible to change to a grammer school for GCSE's if you get good sats results.

Reply 36

HearTheThunder

17

We have to declare module marks? :frown:

Reply 37

belle_27

14

^^ As yet, no. Only module grades is what I've gathered.

I think the government should stop coming up with these stupid ideas of A* and A** and giving module marks to universities and instead properly sort out the problem with A levels and GCSEs so that grades reflect ability more accurately and you can distinguish between candidates more accurately.

Personally I think the whole way of testing at 16, 17 and 18 isn't accurate in any way possible. The thing that really gets to me is how people who do resits get As but yet they couldn't get that the first time round? Learning and testing should encourage proper understanding and enjoyment of subjects and exams should test original (or at least actual) thinking rather than the ability to regurgitate facts.

But in the meantime, I think allowing universities to see module marks is really the only way to distinguish between candidates, even if I don't think its exactly right.

Reply 38

kellywood_5

17

Synergetic

But some schools (including mine) have a policy of not cashing in AS grades. We were told that our UMS marks / AS Grades cannot be quoted in the UCAS forms because they only cash them in at the end (or something like that :confused:

). However, I thought that some uni's ask for UMS marks and grades of the modules already sat......Can anyone please clarify this?

My school doesn't cash in AS grades either, but I had a couple of my UMS marks mentioned in my reference, so you could always do that if you get some really impressive grades/scores. The only exception to that was Cambridge, who ask for all your UMS marks on a separate form. From this year onwards, universities are supposed to be able to see individual module grades as well as overall AS grades, but I'm not sure if this will mean all schools have to cash in results.

Reply 39

kellywood_5

17

Synergetic

Cambridge is the only university that asks for UMS marks? Also, do you know if, as you say, universities are able to see individual module grades - is that just the module grade, or the actual UMS mark?
I'm not really that bothered by it, just curious.

Yeah, it's only Cambridge that ask for UMS marks, and even if universities are able to see individual module grades, it's only the grade, not the UMS mark. So they'd be told, for example, that in the 3 AS maths modules, your grades were ABC, rather than just being told that your overall AS grade was a B.

Module Marks!! Your opinion!!

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