44% get A*-C in GCSE Maths and English, how can 50% go to uni?

"Whilst I congratulate all the hard working students on their results it is clear that only 44% of pupils at state schools achieved 5 good A* - C GCSEs including Maths and English.

Surely this makes a mockery of the target of 50% of these pupils going on to university in two years time.
Only 44% are numerate and literature!"

From times online- reader

Yet another example of how stupid this target is!

Reply 1

Oldmannow

18

44% + the public school pass rates and there you get 50% +.
surely?

:ninja:

Reply 2

db

17

Is the target 50% of state schoolers in teritary level education or 50% of all students?

EDIT: I'm with abrp.

Reply 3

Eau

15

Huh? And I thought GCSE's are getting "easier". Aren't everyone getting A's or A*'s

Reply 4

menu

2

they probably dont necessarily do degrees

Reply 5

vixky!

13

Seriously? Only 44%? I've lost faith in our schooling system, right here and now!

Reply 6

Lolly-88

13

Well only 20% of people got 5 A*-C grades at my old school....and generally where i live people do pretty poorly so that figure wouldn't surprise me too much as i'm sure there are much worse underperforming areas.

Reply 7

LPK

20

Maths

I really don't get the point in the exams getting easier argument. :frown:

Reply 8

steelmole

10

Some people just aren't as clever or as motivated as others. Sadly it's just the way it works.

True they shouldn't be going to university though.

Reply 9

kftjkp

The Government wants 50% of the students who do A-Levels to go to university. The majority of these students therefore (probably 80%) will have 5A*-C including Mathematics and English

Reply 10

prettygreeneyes99

9

"44% are numerate and literate"
I only got 4 A*-C's and Im certainly not illiterate. It depends a hell of alot on the teaching you get. Whilst I was doing my GCSE's 4 years ago the school I was at was under special measures from OFSTED, because basically none of the teachers really gave a crap, and most of the kids were running wild. Its actually now being changed into one of those academies so it doesnt have to shut down! There was only actually about 8 people out of 200 in my school year that got 5+ A*-C's. Luckily I changed schools when it came to doing my A-levels and got decent grades. Granted, I achieved good grades in maths and english, but Im quite offended that because I didnt achieve 5 A*-C's that some people would think I dont deserve to go to University. I cant speak for everyone, but in my case its more complicated than whether I was 'clever or motivated' :rolleyes:

Reply 11

Oldmannow

18

Eau

Huh? And I thought GCSE's are getting "easier". Aren't everyone getting A's or A*'s

youre confusing the general population of the United Kingdom with that of TSR.

Reply 12

hermaphrodite

15

Lolly-88

Well only 20% of people got 5 A*-C grades at my old school....and generally where i live people do pretty poorly so that figure wouldn't surprise me too much as i'm sure there are much worse underperforming areas.

did u not cum up as quite posh in the how posh is ur surname thread?

Reply 13

AlexanderKing

12

you are aware, that you do NOT need a A*-C in English, Maths or Science to get a degree you know.

Many universities, including such universities like UCL, do not require such GCSE qualifications (only A- Levels are reviewed) for certain courses.

Reply 14

prettygreeneyes99

9

Yea thank god some Universities realise that GCSE's arent the be all and end all, as long as you get your A-levels then it shouldnt matter too much to be honest :s-smilie:

Reply 15

BluesMan

13

To be honest, if kids dont want to get a good grade, they wont. They need to be instilled with good effort and work ethics early on (i.e. in the first few years of primary school). I found that nearly all the trouble makers/loud mouths in primary school stayed that way and got poorer grades then the well behaved students. Obviously there are exceptions, but once a student has taken the rebel path its very hard to get them back online.

Reply 16

Siles

1

BluesMan

To be honest, if kids dont want to get a good grade, they wont. They need to be instilled with good effort and work ethics early on (i.e. in the first few years of primary school). I found that nearly all the trouble makers/loud mouths in primary school stayed that way and got poorer grades then the well behaved students. Obviously there are exceptions, but once a student has taken the rebel path its very hard to get them back online.

Agreed. GCSEs and A-levels are 90% determination and 10% innate intelligence. If kids want to do well and they apply it to their work, they'll do well. Good work ethics need to be cultivated more.

Reply 17

la fille danse

17

prettygreeneyes99

"44% are numerate and literate"
I only got 4 A*-C's and Im certainly not illiterate. It depends a hell of alot on the teaching you get. Whilst I was doing my GCSE's 4 years ago the school I was at was under special measures from OFSTED, because basically none of the teachers really gave a crap, and most of the kids were running wild. Its actually now being changed into one of those academies so it doesnt have to shut down! There was only actually about 8 people out of 200 in my school year that got 5+ A*-C's. Luckily I changed schools when it came to doing my A-levels and got decent grades. Granted, I achieved good grades in maths and english, but Im quite offended that because I didnt achieve 5 A*-C's that some people would think I dont deserve to go to University. I cant speak for everyone, but in my case its more complicated than whether I was 'clever or motivated' :rolleyes:

Did you only TAKE 4 GCSEs, or did you take more and fail the rest?

If the latter, then I'm afraid, the problem is not your teachers. If you can't even manage to get 5 decent GCSEs, how do you expect to pass a degree?

you are aware, that you do NOT need a A*-C in English, Maths or Science to get a degree you know.

Many universities, including such universities like UCL, do not require such GCSE qualifications (only A- Levels are reviewed) for certain courses.

But, almost all degrees require the skills learned in GCSE English, Maths, or Science.

If you can't even get a C in GCSE English, you can't write a university-level essay.

Reply 18

AlexanderKing

12

more adventurous

Did you only TAKE 4 GCSEs, or did you take more and fail the rest?

If the latter, then I'm afraid, the problem is not your teachers. If you can't even manage to get 5 decent GCSEs, how do you expect to expect to pass a degree?

But, almost all degrees require the skills learned in GCSE English, Maths, or Science.

If you can't even get a C in GCSE English, you can't write a university-level essay.

you've answered it yourself, ALMOST all, not all. If someone has rather mediocre GCSE's but manages to get an AAAA or AAAB in their A-levels, then Universities will take these grades and the overall extra curricular/personality elements into consideration.

Reply 19

la fille danse

17

What percentage of students who get less than 5 A-Cs at GCSE get AAAA at A-level? .001% maybe?

44% get A*-C in GCSE Maths and English, how can 50% go to uni?

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