The Student Room Group
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

Will I be at a disadvantage?

I've heard people say that Edexcel isn't as good in regards to the exam board for the science exams.

I'm taking Chemistry and Physics for my A levels and just wanted to know if I'm at a disadvantage any how from being on Edexcel instead of AQA? Or why people say AQA is better and their reasoning for it? Thanks:smile:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Avatar for tory88
tory88
18
Edexcel has a reputation for being a little easier, but this is primarily for maths exams. And the gap isn't particularly notable - all A-level syllabuses assume the same level of base knowledge in order to begin the course. So no, you won't be disadvantaged.
Original post by tory88
Edexcel has a reputation for being a little easier, but this is primarily for maths exams. And the gap isn't particularly notable - all A-level syllabuses assume the same level of base knowledge in order to begin the course. So no, you won't be disadvantaged.

A level edexcel is not easier... They are all equally as difficult. The people who say a particular exam board is easy are wrong. It may be 'easier' for them because each exam board has a different style. For example, an AQA paper might have more graphs than an Edexcel paper but they are exactly the same difficulty. One might think it is easier because one might find it easier to read graphs than answer theory based questions... This means that if people say one thing is easy, it does not mean it is easy for you... Every exam board is equal, its just that some people are naturally better at something only one particular exam board has an excess of :smile:
Reply 3
Avatar for Pascal678
Pascal678
I swear AQA is easier than edexcel usually for maths, not that it matters because pretty much all boards are held with equal regard
I thought the whole point of Ofqual was to standardise A-Levels so that one exam board isn't marginally "easier" or "harder" than another...
Reply 5
Avatar for 06shawm
06shawm
11
Original post by jshep000
I've heard people say that Edexcel isn't as good in regards to the exam board for the science exams.

I'm taking Chemistry and Physics for my A levels and just wanted to know if I'm at a disadvantage any how from being on Edexcel instead of AQA? Or why people say AQA is better and their reasoning for it? Thanks:smile:


I did a level chemistry with AQA and have to admit it was pretty easy. My friends at another sixth form did a level chemistry with edexcel and said that edexcel's papers were more difficult in comparison to AQA ones. Different exam boards have different styles in which they present questions on the exam paper. So even though two questions can be the same difficulty. One question may appear harder through the way it is worded/language used. As long as you practise exam technique and become used to the style of questions that appear on the exam paper, you will be fine and at no disadvantage! :biggrin: I can't comment on physics since I didn't study it at a level.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by jshep000
I've heard people say that Edexcel isn't as good in regards to the exam board for the science exams.

I'm taking Chemistry and Physics for my A levels and just wanted to know if I'm at a disadvantage any how from being on Edexcel instead of AQA? Or why people say AQA is better and their reasoning for it? Thanks:smile:


I've heard that Biology and Physics are easiest on OCR, and AQA are much harder with Edexcel being the hardest. I'm sure the difference isn't that much though. :tongue:

Original post by Pascal678
I swear AQA is easier than edexcel usually for maths, not that it matters because pretty much all boards are held with equal regard


They say AQA is much easier for A-Level Maths than Edexcel and OCR. Luckily that's the exam board I'll be doing this September. :biggrin:
Original post by yellowcopter
I've heard that Biology and Physics are easiest on OCR, and AQA are much harder with Edexcel being the hardest. I'm sure the difference isn't that much though. :tongue:



They say AQA is much easier for A-Level Maths than Edexcel and OCR. Luckily that's the exam board I'll be doing this September. :biggrin:

incorrect. Have you seen an edexcel paper? you'll be sheting bricks
Original post by Angelo12231
incorrect. Have you seen an edexcel paper? you'll be sheting bricks


I said Edexcel was hardest for both Maths and Science so I don't know what you're getting at. :tongue:

I asked sixth formers at my school who did AS AQA in Year 11 and resat AS Maths using Edexcel, and they said they found Maths AQA much easier.

As for Science, for Physics one of the sixth forms I applied to who did OCR said that Edexcel was much harder and challenging in comparison.

I don't do A-Levels (in fact neither of us do) but I'm just saying what I've heard/been told. :smile: So yeah, pardon me if I'm wrong.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by yellowcopter
I said Edexcel was hardest for both Maths and Science so I don't know what you're getting at. :tongue:

I asked sixth formers at my school who did AS AQA in Year 11 and resat AS Maths using Edexcel, and they said they found Maths AQA much easier.

As for Science, for Physics one of the sixth forms I applied to who did OCR said that Edexcel was much harder and challenging in comparison.

I don't do A-Levels (in fact neither of us do) but I'm just saying what I've heard/been told. :smile: So yeah, pardon me if I'm wrong.

Really edexcel maths? I could do C1 and C2 now and still get an A... Not hard
Original post by Angelo12231
Really edexcel maths? I could do C1 and C2 now and still get an A... Not hard


I suppose not everyone is as good at Maths as you. :tongue:
Original post by yellowcopter
I suppose not everyone is as good at Maths as you. :tongue:

Im not amazing at maths, honest :3
Original post by Angelo12231
Really edexcel maths? I could do C1 and C2 now and still get an A... Not hard


Highly doubt you could do c2 unless you'd previously learned it, maybe c1.
Original post by BBeyond
Highly doubt you could do c2 unless you'd previously learned it, maybe c1.

ive done C2 in school already
Original post by Angelo12231
ive done C2 in school already


Exactly, so no need to show off saying how easy it is, when you couldn't do it unless you'd learned it previously :tongue:
Original post by BBeyond
Exactly, so no need to show off saying how easy it is, when you couldn't do it unless you'd learned it previously :tongue:

.....?

you understand what easy means?
It means that something is achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties - C2 is not difficult to learn... hence it is easy. Really? one cannot judge difficulty unless one has learn't it. I had very few problems with C2 and not being amazing at maths, i'd expect most people on here to fly through it. ps - one cannot do something that they haven't learn't before, so i think i wouldn't have been able to judge its hardness if i haven't done it before, would i?
Original post by Angelo12231
.....?

you understand what easy means?
It means that something is achieved without great effort; presenting few difficulties - C2 is not difficult to learn... hence it is easy. Really? one cannot judge difficulty unless one has learn't it. I had very few problems with C2 and not being amazing at maths, i'd expect most people on here to fly through it. ps - one cannot do something that they haven't learn't before, so i think i wouldn't have been able to judge its hardness if i haven't done it before, would i?


Yeah I've not learnt any A-Level content whatsoever, so I just want to clear up that I can't personally say whether AQA or Edexcel is easier for A-Level Maths since I've not done either, I was just saying what I've heard from students who have done both boards. :smile:

But yeah, usually all exam boards aren't even that different and are practically the same.
Original post by yellowcopter
Yeah I've not learnt any A-Level content whatsoever, so I just want to clear up that I can't personally say whether AQA or Edexcel is easier for A-Level Maths since I've not done either, I was just saying what I've heard from students who have done both boards. :smile:

But yeah, usually all exam boards aren't even that different and are practically the same.

haha the reason they did 2 exam boards would most likely be because they failed one of them so had to move to the other (so they aren't so good at math), hence it was hard for them, so what you recalled from them was biased... of course this may not be the case, only my assumption :biggrin:
Original post by Angelo12231
haha the reason they did 2 exam boards would most likely be because they failed one of them so had to move to the other (so they aren't so good at math), hence it was hard for them, so what you recalled from them was biased... of course this may not be the case, only my assumption :biggrin:


No they didn't fail they just retook. I only know two sixth forms who did, but one of them got B AQA and the other a B AQA too. They both wanted to resit to get A. :tongue:

They both ended up getting A, but they said they found it WAY harder but they got what they wanted to achieve so it's hardly the end of the world. :smile:
Original post by yellowcopter
No they didn't fail they just retook. I only know two sixth forms who did, but one of them got B AQA and the other a B AQA too. They both wanted to resit to get A. :tongue:

They both ended up getting A, but they said they found it WAY harder but they got what they wanted to achieve so it's hardly the end of the world. :smile:

lol nice, kinda weird though... find it hard, get an A, find is easy, get a B?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you