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Bright GCSE students fail 11-plus
Doesn't this prove that today's A-levels and GCSEs are easier?
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Unregistered
Doesn't this prove that today's A-levels and GCSEs are easier?
Not at all. It just shows how the syllabus emphasis has shifted it the past fifty years.
BTW.. I don't think you made it clear what you were referring to.
Sorry about that, I forgot to paste in the link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3125333.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3125333.stm
Unregistered
Doesn't this prove that today's A-levels and GCSEs are easier?
It was in the Times T2 supplement today and all the Maths was in old money (£3 2s 5d etc) so that was more difficult. They all scored above 94% on the English.
The English was all punctuation and spelling, rather than writing and analysing. Though some didn't do too well, I think if they had revised more they would have done. The sample in the Times looked really easy.
Lord Huntroyde
A 1950s style 11-plus.
Exactly, with the old money system and obsolete units such as yards. It seems as if this program was set up for one reason only. Why does it always have to be around results day when students receive their grades for the hard work they've put in that the qualifications start to get discredited? I'm particularly fed up with these stories especially at this time of year.
I kind of feel sorry for the kids taking part. What I hated was the fact that they would get grades at around the time they get their GCSE grades. I mean it won't be very nice for them if say they do find out that they did better than their GCSEs, because it won't count for anything. Also, they should post all the facts if they are going to write a story which supposedly would be shocking. I mean, they could emphasise the fact that it was an old fashioned paper a little more, and that the units and stuff would make it perhaps more difficult. I mean how would the kids feel with all this bad press about them.
Sarco
Why does it always have to be around results day when students receive their grades for the hard work they've put in that the qualifications start to get discredited? I'm particularly fed up with these stories especially at this time of year.
I'm sure there are plenty that echo that sentiment, at a time where those receiving results are under enough mental strain.
I too am fed up with this routine that occurs every single year, though wasn't too bothered about it until I got into year 10, and it started applying to me, realising that the writers of such articles / stories don't understand the amount of work involved having to sit so many exams in what is a short time frame.
Just for kicks I have decided to have another *I Hate EdExcel Rant* going off at a slight tangent from this topic. I like to call it, "1950's Exam Boards Would Never Make Me Sit 6 Papers In 1 Day".....
START RANT
I would actually prefer to have sat papers from yester years, at least then I would have 1 or maybe 2 papers per day. This apparently is one tradition that the "modern" exam board EdExcel failed to carry forward. Maybe part of the reason for the suggested decline in results is the way in which we are forced to take exams in a rediculously short period of time (in my case a VERY short period of time). Is it fair that some of us get time to prepare mentally for each exam in turn when others are dragged (without dinner in my case) directly from one exam to another, to another, to another.
END RANT
Sorry for the seemingly random twaddle I have posted, but the combination of knowing I will fail my AS's miserabely and reading the s**t that some journo's have been writing about the "decline of intelligence in youngsters", has driven me quite insane.
START RANT
I would actually prefer to have sat papers from yester years, at least then I would have 1 or maybe 2 papers per day. This apparently is one tradition that the "modern" exam board EdExcel failed to carry forward. Maybe part of the reason for the suggested decline in results is the way in which we are forced to take exams in a rediculously short period of time (in my case a VERY short period of time). Is it fair that some of us get time to prepare mentally for each exam in turn when others are dragged (without dinner in my case) directly from one exam to another, to another, to another.
END RANT
Sorry for the seemingly random twaddle I have posted, but the combination of knowing I will fail my AS's miserabely and reading the s**t that some journo's have been writing about the "decline of intelligence in youngsters", has driven me quite insane.
You know what, old people might not be able to understand our ideas and stuff as they are a totally different generation. Also I doubt that all old people are thick. You can't call old people thick. Anyways, chances are when you are old, you won't be perfect either at that age. As you get older, your memory gets weaker and you forget things. Sorry man, but that's a fact of life! If you want facts about why, you can always check up biology info books.
tweetsy85
I don't think it proves that GCSEs are easier today, it just proves they require very different skills. However, it was quite shocking that the students couldn't do long division and multiplication... how on earth did they do their non-calculator paper? or has that been abolished?
Well, to be honest, I had to learn how to do long division from a textbook because my teacher couldnt be bothered to teach us it, on the grounds that "he had done it a million times before"
Lyd
Unregistered
Well, to be honest, I had to learn how to do long division from a textbook because my teacher couldnt be bothered to teach us it, on the grounds that "he had done it a million times before"
Lyd
Lyd
Thats an appauling attitude from your teaching staff.
We were taught it at Year 7, and it's been drilled into us since.
Algebraic polynomial division is based on the skills of long division, and if you aren't taught long division then at A-Level you get to the rather embarrasing situation of having to learn something that aged 11 you should have done.
Related discussions
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- Should we scrap all grammar schools or build new ones?
- How many GCSEs is 'normal'?
- No GCSE's or qualifications at 17. What do I do?
- What was your 11+ exam experience like?
- UCL accommodation swap
- Gcses
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- ‘gifted kid’ - does it continue?
- If I only get three gcse can I still get in to sixth form
- finance/banking/economics work experience
- oxford university
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