REMOVE A-Level exams or drop University entry requirements.
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Original post by 0xygen
... If you're gonna take a gap year then just re-take AS? Rather than shoving 18 exams into one year then sitting at home during your gap year, spread the exams over two years.
Also, I still recommend taking a foundation year. It's better than re-sitting a-levels, trust me. Also, GCSE's are nothing compared to AS's and A2's.
Also, I still recommend taking a foundation year. It's better than re-sitting a-levels, trust me. Also, GCSE's are nothing compared to AS's and A2's.
Will you stop giving him the most ****ing awful advice? Taking A-levels over three years is suicide when it comes to getting onto the more competitive courses at the more competitive universities. I'm really not sure what benefit you think he'd get from a foundation year either, or what kind of foundation year you're even talking about. There aren't many decent unis that will offer a foundation year or consider someone's application to be competitive after one, especially if they're only doing it because they stuffed their A-levels. It's really the most bizarre route I could imagine being suggested.
Original post by Ronove
Will you stop giving him the most ****ing awful advice? Taking A-levels over three years is suicide when it comes to getting onto the more competitive courses at the more competitive universities. I'm really not sure what benefit you think he'd get from a foundation year either, or what kind of foundation year you're even talking about. There aren't many decent unis that will offer a foundation year or consider someone's application to be competitive after one, especially if they're only doing it because they stuffed their A-levels. It's really the most bizarre route I could imagine being suggested.
The adult keeps raging... Go on, what are your suggestions? That he takes 18 exams in one year?
Lets look at this now:
- He achieved D and E grades at AS Level.
- His grades are really low, but he still wants to study his A2's which are considerably harder.
- He wants to take like 12 exams in one summer and get A's in all.
What is the likelihood of that happening? VERY SLIM.
Rather than taking a gap year and sitting at home, he can apply for a foundation year at a good university. That's the best way of doing this... You think that taking AS's and A2's in one year isn't suicide?
Original post by 0xygen
... If you're gonna take a gap year then just re-take AS? Rather than shoving 18 exams into one year then sitting at home during your gap year, spread the exams over two years.
Also, I still recommend taking a foundation year. It's better than re-sitting a-levels, trust me. Also, GCSE's are nothing compared to AS's and A2's.
Also, I still recommend taking a foundation year. It's better than re-sitting a-levels, trust me. Also, GCSE's are nothing compared to AS's and A2's.
What do you mean? I'm currently in year 12, doing AS exams. If I retake AS exams next year, in May 2015, alongside my A2s as I'm required to, then I can start applying in September 2015 (my school pushes for us to send applications by Sept/October of each year), so I go to a (much better) university one year later, in Sept 16. If I spread the exams over two years (i.e. do A2s as I am required to next year, in summer 2015, then do AS exams in summer 2016), that would obviously be too late for me to apply to go to uni in Sept 16... It would mean I'd be off for two years/I'd go in Sept 2017 (which I wouldn't do course).
Yeah, I suppose I could do a foundation year at a good uni like KCL/UCL too.
EDIT: I wrote this before I noticed your most recent post (the one above this).
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by 0xygen
The adult keeps raging... Go on, what are your suggestions? That he takes 18 exams in one year?
Lets look at this now:
- He achieved D and E grades at AS Level.
- His grades are really low, but he still wants to study his A2's which are considerably harder.
- He wants to take like 12 exams in one summer and get A's in all.
What is the likelihood of that happening? VERY SLIM.
Rather than taking a gap year and sitting at home, he can apply for a foundation year at a good university. That's the best way of doing this... You think that taking AS's and A2's in one year isn't suicide?
Lets look at this now:
- He achieved D and E grades at AS Level.
- His grades are really low, but he still wants to study his A2's which are considerably harder.
- He wants to take like 12 exams in one summer and get A's in all.
What is the likelihood of that happening? VERY SLIM.
Rather than taking a gap year and sitting at home, he can apply for a foundation year at a good university. That's the best way of doing this... You think that taking AS's and A2's in one year isn't suicide?
FFS I didn't achieve Ds and Es. I said to you, I'm currently DOING my exams, and I predict myself to get 2 Bs and 2 Cs. In actuality, I got 3 As and 1 B in my mocks. I'm not a limited human being... I am finally ****ing motivated to study, but it's only now. Look, I will just do my retakes, and I WILL get brilliant retakes and brilliant A2s. All my questions revolve around THIS; so, please, for anyone who'll give me any answer, base it around what I have just descried actually happening (i.e. getting great results on results day next year, in 2015). Besides, it's 16 exams overall, not 18, if I redid all my AS', alongside my A2s next year (I'd drop History, which is 2 exams less).
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by 0xygen
The adult keeps raging... Go on, what are your suggestions? That he takes 18 exams in one year?
Lets look at this now:
- He achieved D and E grades at AS Level.
- His grades are really low, but he still wants to study his A2's which are considerably harder.
- He wants to take like 12 exams in one summer and get A's in all.
What is the likelihood of that happening? VERY SLIM.
Rather than taking a gap year and sitting at home, he can apply for a foundation year at a good university. That's the best way of doing this... You think that taking AS's and A2's in one year isn't suicide?
Lets look at this now:
- He achieved D and E grades at AS Level.
- His grades are really low, but he still wants to study his A2's which are considerably harder.
- He wants to take like 12 exams in one summer and get A's in all.
What is the likelihood of that happening? VERY SLIM.
Rather than taking a gap year and sitting at home, he can apply for a foundation year at a good university. That's the best way of doing this... You think that taking AS's and A2's in one year isn't suicide?
A2s aren't really any harder than ASs.
Original post by mjohnson29
On the contrary I'm far more confident this year having had all year to prepare for each exam than last year when I generally had about a week to revise for my January's after we finishes the courses.
Also everyone knows grades are based on normal distributions so if what you're saying is true and people get more stressed it won't have any effect as the grade boundaries will decrease to keep the grade percentages equal. Therefore you're actually no worse off.
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Also everyone knows grades are based on normal distributions so if what you're saying is true and people get more stressed it won't have any effect as the grade boundaries will decrease to keep the grade percentages equal. Therefore you're actually no worse off.
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Which is why they made all exams that should have been taken in January harder... They should actually drop grade boundaries this year.
Original post by 0xygen
Summarised points:
1) January exams have been removed - There are only June exams now. Giving students ONE shot at getting the grades they deserve is frustrating and stressful, people were given second chances before while they're only given one chance at their exams this time... Failure rates will probably rise by 50%
There is a good reason for this: high resit rates aren't good and are self perpetuating. The failure rates will likely barely change, the intention is to change the number of people getting the best grades. They're self perpetuating and damaging in that if you have, say, 50% of people resitting an exam, then they should do much better than those doing it for the first time. This leads to higher grade boundaries making a large number of those sitting for the first time want to resit, hence the perpetual nature. By removing January exams it increases the workload for summer exams by reducing the number of resits it's reasonable to take, consequently the boundary increasing effect is reduced. It's also completely wrong to say they only get one shot, they still get multiple; you do know you can resit AS exams in A2, right? And A2 exams in a gap year?
2) Exams prove nothing -The only thing they prove is that you know how to read a book and memorise, they don't prove that you're capable of thinking around problems and don't prove that you're ready for the real world, you also don't gain any experience from them.
Then the exams aren't hard enough. Simple.
3) Those doing BTEC courses and those doing A-Level courses have the same shot at getting into university - Completely unfair. BTECs are known to be MUCH easier than full A-Levels, yet top class universities accept students with BTECS for most courses/degrees.
Completely false, the fact BTEC courses are considered so much easier would result in the universities being much harsher on BTEC students, either that or they are actually harder than you give them credit for. Please show me some sort of evidence that would substantiate your claim, and I mean for a good university.
4) You forget most of the stuff you've studied - Most students forget and never use most of the stuff they studied at A-Levels... Also, they practically recap everything you've studied at A-Levels in university (not all courses). This shows that exams aren't effective at all.
Knowledge retention and exams are barely connected, and I'm pretty sure the only things that get recapped are those relevant to the course. For me it was very much "recall that ..." and then it is used.
5) Physical exams and coursework are better alternatives - Physical exams show that you can apply knowledge and experience to gain real results, not numbers on a paper. Coursework proves that you are capable of completing projects by a deadline, which is most likely what you're going to be doing after graduation. You'll be taking part in projects, not sitting there writing exams.
Please explain how you would do "physical exams" for most subjects, and how these cannot reasonably be put into a written form. In most cases where you can do "physical" assessment it is done as coursework. The problem with coursework is it is generally much easier to do that exams in that you have weeks to do it and all the information you need at your fingertips rather than having to recall it with a strict time limit, also consider that with coursework you can revise it over and over after completion allowing further improvement.
6) Only a small amount of what you studied comes up in the exam - You study the whole syllabus only to realise that 1/4 of what you learnt comes up in the exam... Why do this? Would you ever tell a prospective civil engineer to learn to build houses then test him by telling him to install a window?
This isn't the 80s any more. In most of my exams a large portion of the content was covered, whether directly or indirectly, and you are required to basically know a bit of everything and the questions are structured in such a way to lead you through it.
7) We've developed - School exams have been going on for many many years now and they have never proven anything. Thousands of students graduate from top class universities and its always the ones with experience that are hired to work. (Not for Medicine or related courses)... You should obviously have the knowledge, but a student with a 2:2 with heaps of experience will obviously get employed over a student with a 1st and barely any experience. Also, there are hundreds of thousands - millions of graduates who remain unemployed because they don't know how to fully apply their knowledge to real world scenarios.
Do you know why thousands graduate every year? Because thousands of people go every year.
I say good luck to a younger person with a 2.2 trying to get a job in the big league
And there are not millions of unemployed graduates, within the UK the unemployment rate is about 2m, most of which have either no, or very poor, higher education qualifications.
8) Education develops, knowledge doesn't - Every year they tweak their education system, changing variables and fixing up numbers. The only thing we need is the CORE knowledge. 20 years down the line, the education I received would be completely useless and I would be relying on experience and core knowledge e.g. The basics of Mathematics and the basics of English to get me through. I would never use 80% of the theories and equations I've memorised.
It isn't the fault of your education that you don't learn any of the new things that happen in the rest of your life; if you want to know them you read about them and learn about them in your own time, if you don't do that don't complain about it. I'm also skeptical that you will never use most of them, just because you don't consciously do something doesn't mean you don't do it.
Original post by Slumpy
1 - Depends on your system. Scottish system hasn't had them for at least 15 years (I don't think it did before, but I don't know). Resits were the unfair thing IMO.
2 - Disagree. Easy exams that's true for certainly, but take STEP and see if you still think that.
3 - Whatever. BTECs being easier than A levels might be true, but I've not seen what I would call a top course listing them as acceptable.
4 - A level can be covered in about 3 days at uni. Again, all this shows is that A levels are too easy, and should be made tougher.
5 - And yet so much easier to cheat.
6 - Yes you will. If you think pressured working will never happen in full time work, one feels you haven't been there.
7 - First sentence is a totally unjustified claim. Second is just wrong (so many schemes auto-reject 2:2s, and I know of many places that prefer grades to experience).
8 - This doesn't even seem to be a point. Of course knowledge develops. And I take it you're opposed to all forms of research then?
Wrong. I agree the English system is, but it's not the British system. Make it a bit harder and you're on the right lines though.
2 - Disagree. Easy exams that's true for certainly, but take STEP and see if you still think that.
3 - Whatever. BTECs being easier than A levels might be true, but I've not seen what I would call a top course listing them as acceptable.
4 - A level can be covered in about 3 days at uni. Again, all this shows is that A levels are too easy, and should be made tougher.
5 - And yet so much easier to cheat.
6 - Yes you will. If you think pressured working will never happen in full time work, one feels you haven't been there.
7 - First sentence is a totally unjustified claim. Second is just wrong (so many schemes auto-reject 2:2s, and I know of many places that prefer grades to experience).
8 - This doesn't even seem to be a point. Of course knowledge develops. And I take it you're opposed to all forms of research then?
Wrong. I agree the English system is, but it's not the British system. Make it a bit harder and you're on the right lines though.
1) Resit are better for people to understand the topic. Because they wouldn't pass unless they understand.
2) I agree STEP is harder.
3) BTEC is for those who are less smart
4) A levels are harder than ever before. University grads are smarter than ever before innovatibg in a **** economy messed up by the previous "brilliant minds" take younger and better minds to solve these problems. Also what A levels are easier and what are harder take an A level paper science paper and you will understand.
5) How is it easy to cheat.
6-8) The British system rank 2nd in Europe to Finland . International school pay high prices to study A levels European Universities desire us A level students more than ever because some Tories rise tution and intelligent students yes the ones with As and A*s are leaving for better universities in europe . Their universities are rising faster up the ranks then UK because of A levels students from around the world.
If only these educational minsters can leave system Aline for already 5 years without some bloody reform long enough to see progress.
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1) January exams have been removed - There are only June exams now. Giving students ONE shot at getting the grades they deserve is frustrating and stressful, people were given second chances before while they're only given one chance at their exams this time... Failure rates will probably rise by 50%
This is an argument for changing the format of A-levels, not removing them entirely.
2) Exams prove nothing -The only thing they prove is that you know how to read a book and memorise, they don't prove that you're capable of thinking around problems and don't prove that you're ready for the real world, you also don't gain any experience from them.
This is an argument for writing better exams, not removing them.
3) Those doing BTEC courses and those doing A-Level courses have the same shot at getting into university - Completely unfair. BTECs are known to be MUCH easier than full A-Levels, yet top class universities accept students with BTECS for most courses/degrees.
The universities accept people based on what their models suggest that person is likely to achieve. It's as simple as that: if they're accepting people with BTECs, it's because people with BTECs have similar average outcomes to those with A-levels.
4) You forget most of the stuff you've studied - Most students forget and never use most of the stuff they studied at A-Levels... Also, they practically recap everything you've studied at A-Levels in university (not all courses). This shows that exams aren't effective at all.
This shows that A-levels are badly taught. It doesn't show anything other than that.
5) Physical exams and coursework are better alternatives - Physical exams show that you can apply knowledge and experience to gain real results, not numbers on a paper. Coursework proves that you are capable of completing projects by a deadline, which is most likely what you're going to be doing after graduation. You'll be taking part in projects, not sitting there writing exams.
For some subjects, yes. Not for others.
6) Only a small amount of what you studied comes up in the exam - You study the whole syllabus only to realise that 1/4 of what you learnt comes up in the exam... Why do this? Would you ever tell a prospective civil engineer to learn to build houses then test him by telling him to install a window?
Write better exams then.
7) We've developed - School exams have been going on for many many years now and they have never proven anything. Thousands of students graduate from top class universities and its always the ones with experience that are hired to work. (Not for Medicine or related courses)... You should obviously have the knowledge, but a student with a 2:2 with heaps of experience will obviously get employed over a student with a 1st and barely any experience. Also, there are hundreds of thousands - millions of graduates who remain unemployed because they don't know how to fully apply their knowledge to real world scenarios.
You seem to have some very strange ideas about what universities do. A levels and degrees are not there to give you the bare minimum you need to function in the modern world: that's what the compulsory education system is there for. They are there to produce professionals, specialists in their particular fields.
8) Education develops, knowledge doesn't - Every year they tweak their education system, changing variables and fixing up numbers. The only thing we need is the CORE knowledge. 20 years down the line, the education I received would be completely useless and I would be relying on experience and core knowledge e.g. The basics of Mathematics and the basics of English to get me through. I would never use 80% of the theories and equations I've memorised.
On the contrary, our education system hasn't developed nearly as fast as the knowledge required in todays world has. Frankly, the system hasn't changed drastically since the industrial revolution, and it really should have.
6) You'll never be that pressured in life - Exam writers usually go by the rule "1 mark per minute", which is completely useless. You'll never be so pressured in your life... When would you ever be so pressured that you'll have less than two hours to complete your work.
This is entirely and completely wrong, and clearly demonstrates that you have no experience of work. I'll just tell you now: exams are way, way, lower stress than a lot of other things you'll be doing in the future.
Not really. A proper coursework or practical work essay examined properly shows a students capabilities to think outside the box and work on real life examples linked to his/her work. Its hard to talk about Biology since you need to memorise alot, but other subjects like Maths can be linked to real life scenarios, English etc... Also, research you do is likely to stick in your head for a considerably longer period of time.
If you're teaching "maths" via analogy to anythin you'd recognise as a real life scenario, you almost certainly aren't teaching maths. You're teaching glorified arithmetic, which you should be comfortable with way before you start doing A-levels.
For anyone passing this off as the OP scapegoating for his 'inferior intelligence', I ask you to take a step back and think what it is that you are doing whilst revising and what you actually think is challenging conceptually and application wise compared ro the challenge of remembering and regurgitating ideas.
I am predicted A* A* A or A* A* A*, I cannot remember. I got 9 A* at GCSEs. People are always like you are so smart etc. I am just like no, I just put in work. It is hard to distinguish intelligence, whilst I am sure there is a definition.
There isn't a clear cut answer either way, but don't just say this guy is moaning, although the stress and possible past failures have led him to feel this way, as this is why he is expressing his thoughts.
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I am predicted A* A* A or A* A* A*, I cannot remember. I got 9 A* at GCSEs. People are always like you are so smart etc. I am just like no, I just put in work. It is hard to distinguish intelligence, whilst I am sure there is a definition.
There isn't a clear cut answer either way, but don't just say this guy is moaning, although the stress and possible past failures have led him to feel this way, as this is why he is expressing his thoughts.
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Original post by 0xygen
Before you smart people that love exams and end up getting 100% every exam start arguing, read my side of the argument.
Summarised points:
1) January exams have been removed - There are only June exams now. Giving students ONE shot at getting the grades they deserve is frustrating and stressful, people were given second chances before while they're only given one chance at their exams this time... Failure rates will probably rise by 50%
2) Exams prove nothing -The only thing they prove is that you know how to read a book and memorise, they don't prove that you're capable of thinking around problems and don't prove that you're ready for the real world, you also don't gain any experience from them.
3) Those doing BTEC courses and those doing A-Level courses have the same shot at getting into university - Completely unfair. BTECs are known to be MUCH easier than full A-Levels, yet top class universities accept students with BTECS for most courses/degrees.
4) You forget most of the stuff you've studied - Most students forget and never use most of the stuff they studied at A-Levels... Also, they practically recap everything you've studied at A-Levels in university (not all courses). This shows that exams aren't effective at all.
5) Physical exams and coursework are better alternatives - Physical exams show that you can apply knowledge and experience to gain real results, not numbers on a paper. Coursework proves that you are capable of completing projects by a deadline, which is most likely what you're going to be doing after graduation. You'll be taking part in projects, not sitting there writing exams.
6) Only a small amount of what you studied comes up in the exam - You study the whole syllabus only to realise that 1/4 of what you learnt comes up in the exam... Why do this? Would you ever tell a prospective civil engineer to learn to build houses then test him by telling him to install a window?
7) We've developed - School exams have been going on for many many years now and they have never proven anything. Thousands of students graduate from top class universities and its always the ones with experience that are hired to work. (Not for Medicine or related courses)... You should obviously have the knowledge, but a student with a 2:2 with heaps of experience will obviously get employed over a student with a 1st and barely any experience. Also, there are hundreds of thousands - millions of graduates who remain unemployed because they don't know how to fully apply their knowledge to real world scenarios.
8) Education develops, knowledge doesn't - Every year they tweak their education system, changing variables and fixing up numbers. The only thing we need is the CORE knowledge. 20 years down the line, the education I received would be completely useless and I would be relying on experience and core knowledge e.g. The basics of Mathematics and the basics of English to get me through. I would never use 80% of the theories and equations I've memorised.
All in All. The British Exam system is failing internationally.
Summarised points:
1) January exams have been removed - There are only June exams now. Giving students ONE shot at getting the grades they deserve is frustrating and stressful, people were given second chances before while they're only given one chance at their exams this time... Failure rates will probably rise by 50%
2) Exams prove nothing -The only thing they prove is that you know how to read a book and memorise, they don't prove that you're capable of thinking around problems and don't prove that you're ready for the real world, you also don't gain any experience from them.
3) Those doing BTEC courses and those doing A-Level courses have the same shot at getting into university - Completely unfair. BTECs are known to be MUCH easier than full A-Levels, yet top class universities accept students with BTECS for most courses/degrees.
4) You forget most of the stuff you've studied - Most students forget and never use most of the stuff they studied at A-Levels... Also, they practically recap everything you've studied at A-Levels in university (not all courses). This shows that exams aren't effective at all.
5) Physical exams and coursework are better alternatives - Physical exams show that you can apply knowledge and experience to gain real results, not numbers on a paper. Coursework proves that you are capable of completing projects by a deadline, which is most likely what you're going to be doing after graduation. You'll be taking part in projects, not sitting there writing exams.
6) Only a small amount of what you studied comes up in the exam - You study the whole syllabus only to realise that 1/4 of what you learnt comes up in the exam... Why do this? Would you ever tell a prospective civil engineer to learn to build houses then test him by telling him to install a window?
7) We've developed - School exams have been going on for many many years now and they have never proven anything. Thousands of students graduate from top class universities and its always the ones with experience that are hired to work. (Not for Medicine or related courses)... You should obviously have the knowledge, but a student with a 2:2 with heaps of experience will obviously get employed over a student with a 1st and barely any experience. Also, there are hundreds of thousands - millions of graduates who remain unemployed because they don't know how to fully apply their knowledge to real world scenarios.
8) Education develops, knowledge doesn't - Every year they tweak their education system, changing variables and fixing up numbers. The only thing we need is the CORE knowledge. 20 years down the line, the education I received would be completely useless and I would be relying on experience and core knowledge e.g. The basics of Mathematics and the basics of English to get me through. I would never use 80% of the theories and equations I've memorised.
All in All. The British Exam system is failing internationally.
If you love BTECs and practical exams so much, do them. However, they are usually more applicable for apprenticeships. Do what you are good at, not what society thinks its good.
Unfortunately this is the way the exam system is. But lets be honest, do you actually need qualifications to be a CEO, just seems like that all they do is sit on their backsides with good PR while money flows in.
Exams are use a way for the elites to maintain themselves, leading to an unequal society.
Original post by subject1
And I don't think anyone actually love exams, I am quite capable of doing them, but literally want to cry when its exam season
*raises hand*
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Original post by Ronove
This. OP clearly has very little "real world" experience if he thinks you're never pressurised to do stuff that quickly in the working world!
Anywhere from an office job (where you have hours to help your colleagues type up a letter or prepare something for a client who needs work done quickly) to a good old shift waitressing at a restaurant (where time is of the essence when serving food) requires it. "I was given days to weeks" - lol, so that must apply everywhere? What utter ignorance.(edited 9 years ago)
Okay so as a maths/music student changing courses to mathematical studies next year(not retaking the year- I go straight onto second year) at RHUL, I want to add my own experience here. I know for a fact that my results in maths exams here at uni are vastly better than in A levels, and although I did get ABBC in A levels(a in maths, b's in music/further maths, c in physics) I was pretty unhappy with many of my A level results because in lessons I understood things faster than others, but would then get worse results even though I worked very hard all the time.
It's the mediocre exam takers in my opinion who are hit the hardest by the way exams are put together, because those who have failed usually have a reason-bad teacher, they weren't revising at all or illness, for example-and those who have done well know this means they'll be able to get into a very well respected uni, whilst those who did okay but not brilliant have the nagging feeling that we're not quite good enough-THIS ISN'T TRUE!!! I've so far been getting better results than many of the people I know who got A*'s at A level, some who even got high grades in STEP papers, and as well as this I managed to keep up with a module on analysis which I shadowed, take notes in the lectures and do 6/10 of the worksheets. I'm fairly sure the maths lecturers think I'm weird, since I actually asked to do the analysis exams as well, but in general I know I couldn't really do much better in my maths modules.
Now I'm not just going to go on about my experience but make the point, whenever you see someone excel in his/her job who maybe didn't get into a Russell Group uni or get spot on A levels, don't simply think that they a) managed to pull themselves together and do better or b) should maybe have completed an apprenticeship instead, but maybe think about whether an even better future for them, going through the top universities an becoming more influential in the world so that they maybe didn't just excel in their jobs but could have made a real impact on others, wasn't lost as a result of exams being targeted at the wrong sorts of people.
Also shame on all those people who just replied to the original post from 0xygen by saying he must be getting bad results! You don't need to get terrible results to feel like you're failing anyway, since "bad" results are so subjective. I feel like I got bad results but most people say I haven't. I knew one person who cried after getting an A in GCSE English because she wanted to study medicine and felt like she'd failed because it was one less A*!
It's the mediocre exam takers in my opinion who are hit the hardest by the way exams are put together, because those who have failed usually have a reason-bad teacher, they weren't revising at all or illness, for example-and those who have done well know this means they'll be able to get into a very well respected uni, whilst those who did okay but not brilliant have the nagging feeling that we're not quite good enough-THIS ISN'T TRUE!!! I've so far been getting better results than many of the people I know who got A*'s at A level, some who even got high grades in STEP papers, and as well as this I managed to keep up with a module on analysis which I shadowed, take notes in the lectures and do 6/10 of the worksheets. I'm fairly sure the maths lecturers think I'm weird, since I actually asked to do the analysis exams as well, but in general I know I couldn't really do much better in my maths modules.
Now I'm not just going to go on about my experience but make the point, whenever you see someone excel in his/her job who maybe didn't get into a Russell Group uni or get spot on A levels, don't simply think that they a) managed to pull themselves together and do better or b) should maybe have completed an apprenticeship instead, but maybe think about whether an even better future for them, going through the top universities an becoming more influential in the world so that they maybe didn't just excel in their jobs but could have made a real impact on others, wasn't lost as a result of exams being targeted at the wrong sorts of people.
Also shame on all those people who just replied to the original post from 0xygen by saying he must be getting bad results! You don't need to get terrible results to feel like you're failing anyway, since "bad" results are so subjective. I feel like I got bad results but most people say I haven't. I knew one person who cried after getting an A in GCSE English because she wanted to study medicine and felt like she'd failed because it was one less A*!
this post is hilarious, and i saw dat sly edit.
Nice try OP, dat denial.
Nice try OP, dat denial.
Original post by Ronove
Will you stop giving him the most ****ing awful advice? Taking A-levels over three years is suicide when it comes to getting onto the more competitive courses at the more competitive universities. I'm really not sure what benefit you think he'd get from a foundation year either, or what kind of foundation year you're even talking about. There aren't many decent unis that will offer a foundation year or consider someone's application to be competitive after one, especially if they're only doing it because they stuffed their A-levels. It's really the most bizarre route I could imagine being suggested.
Some but not all- medicine yes, even then though a small number of unis still accept retakers. And St Andrews, Edinburgh and UCL are insistent on a-levels being taken in 2 years. But I've known people who've retaken A2's in a 3rd year get offers from Warwick and Bristol for English and Oxford for Theology and Philosophy as well as from countless other RG & former 1994 unis myself included (the list includes Leeds, Birmingham, Sussex, Lancaster, Sheffield, Royal Holloway, UEA and York)
Original post by jelly1000
Some but not all- medicine yes, even then though a small number of unis still accept retakers. And St Andrews, Edinburgh and UCL are insistent on a-levels being taken in 2 years. But I've known people who've retaken A2's in a 3rd year get offers from Warwick and Bristol for English and Oxford for Theology and Philosophy as well as from countless other RG & former 1994 unis myself included (the list includes Leeds, Birmingham, Sussex, Lancaster, Sheffield, Royal Holloway, UEA and York)
While this is true, my comment was in the context of someone being advised to retake his AS year and do his first attempt at an A2 year as the third year. I think that would be viewed much worse than retaking some A2 units during a gap year. It's certainly not something I would advise doing over a couple of Bs or Cs at AS!
Original post by SerLorasTyrell
It think it's unfair English students can resit modules and stuff to bring up their grades - lol wut
Posted from TSR Mobile
Posted from TSR Mobile
well i think is unfair is that you lot get your tuition fees paid for from English taxes and then english students have to come out of uni with a £50,000 average debt!
Original post by 0xygen
Before you smart people that love exams and end up getting 100% every exam start arguing, read my side of the argument.
Summarised points:
1) January exams have been removed - There are only June exams now. Giving students ONE shot at getting the grades they deserve is frustrating and stressful, people were given second chances before while they're only given one chance at their exams this time... Failure rates will probably rise by 50%
2) Exams prove nothing -The only thing they prove is that you know how to read a book and memorise, they don't prove that you're capable of thinking around problems and don't prove that you're ready for the real world, you also don't gain any experience from them.
3) Those doing BTEC courses and those doing A-Level courses have the same shot at getting into university - Completely unfair. BTECs are known to be MUCH easier than full A-Levels, yet top class universities accept students with BTECS for most courses/degrees.
4) You forget most of the stuff you've studied - Most students forget and never use most of the stuff they studied at A-Levels... Also, they practically recap everything you've studied at A-Levels in university (not all courses). This shows that exams aren't effective at all.
5) Physical exams and coursework are better alternatives - Physical exams show that you can apply knowledge and experience to gain real results, not numbers on a paper. Coursework proves that you are capable of completing projects by a deadline, which is most likely what you're going to be doing after graduation. You'll be taking part in projects, not sitting there writing exams.
6) Only a small amount of what you studied comes up in the exam - You study the whole syllabus only to realise that 1/4 of what you learnt comes up in the exam... Why do this? Would you ever tell a prospective civil engineer to learn to build houses then test him by telling him to install a window?
7) We've developed - School exams have been going on for many many years now and they have never proven anything. Thousands of students graduate from top class universities and its always the ones with experience that are hired to work. (Not for Medicine or related courses)... You should obviously have the knowledge, but a student with a 2:2 with heaps of experience will obviously get employed over a student with a 1st and barely any experience. Also, there are hundreds of thousands - millions of graduates who remain unemployed because they don't know how to fully apply their knowledge to real world scenarios.
8) Education develops, knowledge doesn't - Every year they tweak their education system, changing variables and fixing up numbers. The only thing we need is the CORE knowledge. 20 years down the line, the education I received would be completely useless and I would be relying on experience and core knowledge e.g. The basics of Mathematics and the basics of English to get me through. I would never use 80% of the theories and equations I've memorised.
All in All. The British Exam system is failing internationally.
Summarised points:
1) January exams have been removed - There are only June exams now. Giving students ONE shot at getting the grades they deserve is frustrating and stressful, people were given second chances before while they're only given one chance at their exams this time... Failure rates will probably rise by 50%
2) Exams prove nothing -The only thing they prove is that you know how to read a book and memorise, they don't prove that you're capable of thinking around problems and don't prove that you're ready for the real world, you also don't gain any experience from them.
3) Those doing BTEC courses and those doing A-Level courses have the same shot at getting into university - Completely unfair. BTECs are known to be MUCH easier than full A-Levels, yet top class universities accept students with BTECS for most courses/degrees.
4) You forget most of the stuff you've studied - Most students forget and never use most of the stuff they studied at A-Levels... Also, they practically recap everything you've studied at A-Levels in university (not all courses). This shows that exams aren't effective at all.
5) Physical exams and coursework are better alternatives - Physical exams show that you can apply knowledge and experience to gain real results, not numbers on a paper. Coursework proves that you are capable of completing projects by a deadline, which is most likely what you're going to be doing after graduation. You'll be taking part in projects, not sitting there writing exams.
6) Only a small amount of what you studied comes up in the exam - You study the whole syllabus only to realise that 1/4 of what you learnt comes up in the exam... Why do this? Would you ever tell a prospective civil engineer to learn to build houses then test him by telling him to install a window?
7) We've developed - School exams have been going on for many many years now and they have never proven anything. Thousands of students graduate from top class universities and its always the ones with experience that are hired to work. (Not for Medicine or related courses)... You should obviously have the knowledge, but a student with a 2:2 with heaps of experience will obviously get employed over a student with a 1st and barely any experience. Also, there are hundreds of thousands - millions of graduates who remain unemployed because they don't know how to fully apply their knowledge to real world scenarios.
8) Education develops, knowledge doesn't - Every year they tweak their education system, changing variables and fixing up numbers. The only thing we need is the CORE knowledge. 20 years down the line, the education I received would be completely useless and I would be relying on experience and core knowledge e.g. The basics of Mathematics and the basics of English to get me through. I would never use 80% of the theories and equations I've memorised.
All in All. The British Exam system is failing internationally.
1) As others have said you only get one shot in uni unless you fail and then you get capped at 40% so its good preparation
2) Again yes they might not be perfect but they are a big feature of uni. My friend does medicine and exams formed the majority of the grade for the for the first two years, are you saying that didn't prepare her for the practical experience she went out on in clinical years?
3) Can't comment as I don't know enough about the content of Btecs
4) Yes true we forget a lot but some of it can come in useful especially if you go onto study a national curriculum subject at uni- in order to keep options option you need to study everything until 16.
5) Yes I get what you are saying with coursework, in the majority of cases yes you won't have more exams AFTER uni if you go (except for professional qualifications such as accounting, law and medicine) but at school level it is so unfair- schools interpret the rules differently- some give loads of help, others won't give much at all and when it comes to marking so often teachers mark too leniently (or so examiners think). Nearly every time I did coursework it was downgraded by examiners and it was so frustrating.
6) Yes that's true but with coursework its even worse- you study loads of topics then only write coursework on a couple
7) Your right about experience mattering -someone with a 2:1 and no experience will struggle, but a lot of grad schemes filter those who haven't got a 2:1 and its perfectly possible to get both (a 2:1+ and experience).
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