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Do you think you'll get the grades?

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Reply 60
Sophetta
Im doing geography at oxford (well looks more like st andrews now).

Yes i did do the poetry TA- i always found the prose took far 2 long to read and there was always too much in it. I completely screwed it up, as i missed the most obvious intepretation and made up some stupid nonsense, which im actually too ashamed to admit to. Basically, i said the family weren't killed, it was a metaphor for something else, which actually means im a bit of an idiot. No, i'll change that- im a complete idiot and therefore probably shouldn't be going to oxford anyway. Unless the SQA don't mind wrong intepretations, as long as you back it up with evidence?


WAHEY! That's almost exactly what I said - went on about how the poem depicted the power of a child's imagination, the blurry line between reality and fantasy, etc, etc. Without a doubt it was the utmost piffle, BUT i gave some really long-winded, over-complicated explanation and evidence, so fingers-crossed I've bluffed a reasonable mark. I don't think a good mark in English requires logic, or anything close. Bestest of luck anyway...
And at least you have a cool insurance, guess who was rejected by StA's.. :rolleyes:
Reply 61
calumc
I hadn't realised there were so many (well, a few) others doing advanced highers. I feel strangely relieved to know I'm not the only one. What's the teaching like for you others? I'm only taught maths - for chemistry and physics all I've got is Scholar. Chemistry is looking hardest at the moment - there's a heck of a lot of stuff you've just got to know.


Can't believe you have to rely on Scholar - that's really rough! I've got all those textbooks for Maths and Physics, but find them less than useful. My Maths teacher happens to be The Best. He's a genius and so enthusiastic and an all-round great guy (his daughter got a 1st in Maths at Cam and a PhD at Oxford etc etc). I really am not impressed with the AdvH teaching in general though, English is a standing joke at our school, the teachers really don't care about anything after the Highers. I have such respect for self-taught courses, i got neighbourly help for english - i couldn't have managed it alone.

And in response to 'music boy' apparently they really do give out more offers, I'd just love to know how many (the more the better, makes the whole failing thing seem more survivable somehow if others are suffering with me :smile: ) Don't know if it's a bad thing that Law has so many students...
Reply 62
AHs are a standing joke at my school, too, and the teachers don't understand the maths. :s-smilie:

One of our teachers for physics gave notes - for the other, (units 2 and 3) we just had scholar. For Applied Maths I just got given the textbooks. It's completely unfair in terms of offers: lots of A-Level students given the same offers have teachers experienced with the subject and can resit modules. :s-smilie:
Reply 63
Faboba
I can only speak from experience of the Scottish system but far and away the best way to approach a science exam is by practicing past papers endlessly. There are a finite number of forms the harder questions will take and after doing enough of them you will be so familiar with how to tackle them it will seem like second nature. The easier questions just require recall and that can be gained by the usual methods of studying and only enhanced by repeated 'mock' testing.


Yes, but we only have three past papers and a specimen. And the question formats have changed through the papers. SQA is *evil*.
Reply 64
mussed
Yes, but we only have three past papers and a specimen. And the question formats have changed through the papers. SQA is *evil*.


Damn right. What are you using for revision, by the way? At the moment I'm working from the "course specification" documents (from the SQA website), and then using the end of section tests on the Scholar website. It seems to work, I just hope I'm taking it in.
Reply 65
mussed
Yes, but we only have three past papers and a specimen. And the question formats have changed through the papers. SQA is *evil*.


Oh cool! You're Scottish!

Well as far as Chemistry and Physics go the format of the questions hasn't really changed much, if at all. In both some parts have actually been DROPPED and by and large papers have got a hell of a lot easier. I hesitate to recommend that you buy a book of past papers because of my hatred and loathing for the company whose name will not be spoken here which in their cruel and venal way have bought the rights to publish past papers and do so at about £12 a pop.....

Most schools should keep some however. Have you checked the school library? Chances are they'll keep a couple of copies of past paper books. The SQA sample papers on the website are also a good gague as well. See if your departments keep any copies of prelims around as these will usually be of a higher standard than the questions you'll be expected to answer on the day ( for appeal purposes y'see ).

SYS is pretty much the same as Adv Higher though in most areas. It wouldn't hurt if you've exhausted all other options to give them a shot.
Reply 66
calumc
Damn right. What are you using for revision, by the way? At the moment I'm working from the "course specification" documents (from the SQA website), and then using the end of section tests on the Scholar website. It seems to work, I just hope I'm taking it in.


This was for higher right enough but it seemed to work; what I did was use the end notes on the scholar site to make a word document of 'everything you should know' transcribed in my own words and elabourated when necessary. The result was a relatively short ( 11 page ) document which contained all I'd ever need to know about the course as well as the benefits of having had everything I'd ever need to know about the course enter my head, rattle around and get regurgitated onto the computer screen. It seemed to work well but I'm not sure how much time you have. IIRC it took the best part of a day to make one, let alone learn it.
The Duck

And in response to 'music boy' apparently they really do give out more offers, I'd just love to know how many (the more the better, makes the whole failing thing seem more survivable somehow if others are suffering with me :smile: ) Don't know if it's a bad thing that Law has so many students...


The point I was making (still not sure if i'm right) is that as a muso I get a piano in my room. The college prob only has six or seven rooms with pianos thus about 2 music students a year. If they offered 3 then they would be offering 50% more music intake. I am guessing they only accept as many music students as they have pianos or they would have to shell out more money in october.

MB
Faboba
I hesitate to recommend that you buy a book of past papers because of my hatred and loathing for the company whose name will not be spoken here which in their cruel and venal way have bought the rights to publish past papers and do so at about £12 a pop....


I was told you couldn't buy AH past papers! Grrr. The biology dept at my school are so useless, they have given us ONE past paper, so all I have is that and the specimen from the SQA website. Luckily for maths and chem I've got the full set.

IMO, £12 isn't bad considering the lack of demand, I'd happily pay it if that was my only source of past papers.
Reply 69
Hellsbells
I was told you couldn't buy AH past papers! Grrr. The biology dept at my school are so useless, they have given us ONE past paper, so all I have is that and the specimen from the SQA website. Luckily for maths and chem I've got the full set.

IMO, £12 isn't bad considering the lack of demand, I'd happily pay it if that was my only source of past papers.


You can buy them from Leckie and Leckie as individuals.

God, don't L&L suck?

The Scholar revision tests are good. I don't know where to even begin with finding SYS papers! In any case, I have millions of pure maths questions (you can buy practice papers and my teacher has sheets and sheets and sheets) and the textbook for applied: it's just physics, and for that I can redo the SQA summary notes questions if push comes to shove. I know they're not the best notes (okay, they're pretty awful) but they do have lots of exam-style questions :smile:

I'm only doing Higher Chemistry (as a backup incase I decide later I want to do medicine, according to my parents; I only attended 3/7 of the classes and got a low A in the prelim and don't need a result). I'm leaving that until after Physics and there are loads of questions for it.

Yes, I'm Scottish. *g*. Leaving soon, though... Faboba, what are you studying? (Sidney Sussex, incidentally - is that where they buried Oliver Cromwell? I think my ex-boyfriend got rejected from there.)
Reply 70
Sophetta
You are the 2nd person i know of who thought that the family didn't die. Yay! Even if its wrong, they have to give us something, don't they, especially if quite a few people said vaguely the same thing?


I don't do english, but I turned up at the end of the exam to see my friends (if I'd known there was prose TA... but oh well) and the teachers said it was a metaphor. None of my friends got that. Well done :wink:


Sophetta
I think there are quite a lot of people doing them actually, although it must be very difficult with scholar. When i went for my interview there were quite a few Scots there doing AH. Well 3. They are supposed to be better than A-levels, because they haven't been dumbed down (yet).


Yes. My dad was talking to medical people in Oxford (he does medical research with them) and they said they would let in people if they missed out on one grade due to the hardness of AHs as opposed to A-Levels. Don't know how true that actually is: they may have just said that to my dad, as he can be quite a scary defender of the scottish system, but it's encouraging.
Sophetta

Who told you that? I knew we could buy past papers, but you could get a teacher (aka Marshall) to photocopy old ones for you. Can't you go to Hogg (whoever your teacher is- i lose track) and ask for some more?


If I was more worried about biology, I probably would have stormed into the department and demanded photocopies of past papers. But it's a really straightforward exam (I hope...)

mussed
Yes. My dad was talking to medical people in Oxford (he does medical research with them) and they said they would let in people if they missed out on one grade due to the hardness of AHs as opposed to A-Levels. Don't know how true that actually is: they may have just said that to my dad, as he can be quite a scary defender of the scottish system, but it's encouraging.


Yay! Nice to see some Oxford people recognise that. I think that people self-teaching AHs using Scholar should be made lower offers, it's only fair.
Sophetta
Ok, you just seemed very stressed about it earlier.


Yeah, but that was a combination of things (ie maths, sleep deprivation). I'm ok today though, looking forward to putting it all behind me!

Hmm we Scottish people seem to have hijacked this thread... oh well :biggrin:
Hellsbells
Hmm we Scottish people seem to have hijacked this thread... oh well :biggrin:


That's ok, it's nice to hear someone else having a gripe about their education system and a random chat. go for it!!!! :tongue:
Reply 74
Hellsbells
AH chemistry... don't remind me! I'm not going to think about it until after maths on friday. That must be tough relying on Scholar :frown:

Best of luck, to you and everyone!


Yeah, im seem to be fairly crap at chemisty exams, i just cant write what i mean.
Reply 75
Hellsbells
Hmm we Scottish people seem to have hijacked this thread... oh well :biggrin:


Yay go Scots dudes! :biggrin: How are the exams going for people?
Reply 76
Acaila
Yay go Scots dudes! :biggrin: How are the exams going for people?

IT'S AN INVASION! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
Reply 77
shiny
IT'S AN INVASION! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!


Like Braveheart... honestly, that's exactly what Scotland's like. :biggrin:
Reply 78
Yup that's us :biggrin: Dodgy accents and all
Reply 79
Soon we'll have to give you Scottish people your own devolved UKL forum!