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Reply 1020
Original post by wolfmoon88
For what subject? :tongue:

Congratulations btw :smile:

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I was rejected for PBS (post-interview and unsuccessful pooling), and I was accepted to read History and Politics (long story that one, hehe)
Original post by m1m2
I was rejected for PBS (post-interview and unsuccessful pooling), and I was accepted to read History and Politics (long story that one, hehe)


Hahahaha U-turn in subject choices then :biggrin: :tongue: which college?
Original post by alow
Doesn't matter.


I would say there is variable marking in A levels, particularly humanities subjects. My evidence would be the degree to which some scripts have changed when sent off for remarking over the years. Although they did recently crack down on this (the year I sat my A levels) the fact that some scripts would change from a C to an A or whatever upon being remarked definitely shows that not all examiners are marking the same and therefore some must be marking 'harshly'. Pretty much all examples I've heard of having a massive change have been humanities subjects, as you say, science A levels have very prescriptive mark schemes which require memorisation of a lot of key phrases and hence have tended to change a lot less on being remarked.
Reply 1023
Original post by wolfmoon88
Hahahaha U-turn in subject choices then :biggrin: :tongue: which college?


Exactly! I knew that I was in the wrong business, so I think I dodged a bullet in my unsuccessful Cambridge application. I applied to Jesus at Cam, and Catz at Oxford:fisheye:
Original post by m1m2
Exactly! I knew that I was in the wrong business, so I think I dodged a bullet in my unsuccessful Cambridge application. I applied to Jesus at Cam, and Catz at Oxford:fisheye:


Yep :smile: that's smart :tongue:

Cool! :biggrin: hahaha I applied unsuccessfully to Magdalen this year (St Catz rivals :rofl:)
@jneill added a hyperlink to this saying "the game is still on" on my (and the) last post of the 2017 applicants thread

A truly fabulous addition :lol:

:holmes:
Original post by Forecast
Yes, and the 180/200 was uniform marks (UMS) not raw marks; the actual number of marks in the exam needed to get that varied from year to year.

In the new specification it's slightly different - there are no UMS marks - but the principle is the same: for AQA, say, you have the coursework (40 marks), and two written papers (80 marks each). The grade boundaries will be set based on the total mark of all of the components, out of 200. You don't have to reach some threshold in any particular part in order to qualify for a particular grade. None of the boundaries are fixed, they are set by a panel of senior examiners after all the papers have been marked taking various factors into account, such as the statistical distribution of marks and reviews of individual exam scripts in comparison to ones from previous years.


So to get an A* I don't need to satisfy a set threshold, its entirely dependent on the cohort? Just wondering because I tend to drop, say, around 0-4 marks in every History essay/source I do. Got 100% on a paper this year so hoping same follows for this year but I am highly insecure about my abilities at times.

Knowing my luck I'll miss my needed A* by one or two marks :angry:
Reply 1027
Original post by SteamboatMickey
So to get an A* I don't need to satisfy a set threshold, its entirely dependent on the cohort?


Yup, but it was the same with modular A-levels too (UMS boundaries, etc).
Original post by jneill
Yup, but it was the same with modular A-levels too (UMS boundaries, etc).


Hmm fair dos. So it's not like if I get 175-179 and not 180 I have no chance of getting an A*? Although ofc I'm aiming as high as possible
Reply 1029
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Hmm fair dos. So it's not like if I get 175-179 and not 180 I have no chance of getting an A*? Although ofc I'm aiming as high as possible


Who knows really - the boundaries aren't fixed. Just keep doing the best you can :wink: that's the bit in your control. You simply have to leave the boundaries to the exam boards.
Original post by jneill
Who knows really - the boundaries aren't fixed. Just keep doing the best you can :wink: that's the bit in your control. You simply have to leave the boundaries to the exam boards.


Will do :biggrin: I practise History essays every weekend and hand them in to get marked although my English teachers seem less willing to mark extra work:redface:
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Will do :biggrin: I practise History essays every weekend and hand them in to get marked although my English teachers seem less willing to mark extra work:redface:


My teachers have massive classes and History are so short staffed they have to have Geography and PE teach history to anything below GCSE lol, no extra marking for me ever. I just plan them in detail.

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Original post by SteamboatMickey
Will do :biggrin: I practise History essays every weekend and hand them in to get marked although my English teachers seem less willing to mark extra work:redface:


Teachers are busy, I'm afraid and extra marking will not be their priority just to help someone into Cambridge.. Give them a break! I have always seen exams as a competition ( possibly wrongly.?). Make sure you are in the top 5% of the cohort taking the exam and hopefully you are good to go to get an A*. Not scientifically proven, just my experience.

Ultimately your grades are within your control and are nobody else's responsibility.
does anyone know how competitive the choral awards are?
Original post by Obiejess
My teachers have massive classes and History are so short staffed they have to have Geography and PE teach history to anything below GCSE lol, no extra marking for me ever. I just plan them in detail.

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Yeah I know :lol: luckily we have a lot of staff and a lot of students, but it's all A-Level (nobody under Year 12 or above third year), and each teacher has 3 classes each. My teachers are up for marking stuff just not giving me the actual questions so it's a bit off :tongue:


Original post by 210555
Teachers are busy, I'm afraid and extra marking will not be their priority just to help someone into Cambridge.. Give them a break! I have always seen exams as a competition ( possibly wrongly.?). Make sure you are in the top 5% of the cohort taking the exam and hopefully you are good to go to get an A*. Not scientifically proven, just my experience.

Ultimately your grades are within your control and are nobody else's responsibility.


Mate coming from a family of teachers myself I didn't mean it seriously I know teachers are busy :s-smilie: I know tone can't be identified easily over the internet but I meant it much more light heartedly then you have taken it... I didn't mean it in a rude, entitled way. anyway cheers for the tips at the bottom.

Also I know they're in my control that's kind of the whole point of alevels - independant learning
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by m1m2
Big shout out to all my fellow Cambridge rejects out there. You're still very very good! I got rejected by Cambridge last year, accepted into Oxford this year:cool:


> Very very good
> Oxonian

Pick one
Original post by Mathemagicien
> Very very good
> Oxonian

Pick one


:lol:
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Mate coming from a family of teachers myself I didn't mean it seriously I know teachers are busy :s-smilie: I know tone can't be identified easily over the internet but I meant it much more light heartedly then you have taken it... I didn't mean it in a rude, entitled way. anyway cheers for the tips at the bottom.

Also I know they're in my control that's kind of the whole point of alevels - independant learning


Absolutely fair enough. It's just sometimes you come across to.me ( and I may be unique and wrong here) a LITTLE like my school was rubbish and that's why my grades aren't so good. We have all had **** teachers at some point. We have to deal with it. Trust me, you will come across them in big style at uni even at Cambridge. Best of luck with your A levels. 😀
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by 210555
Mate coming from a family of teachers myself I didn't mean it seriously I know teachers are busy :s-smilie: I know tone can't be identified easily over the internet but I meant it much more light heartedly then you have taken it... I didn't mean it in a rude, entitled way. anyway cheers for the tips at the bottom.

Also I know they're in my control that's kind of the whole point of alevels - independant learning


What???? It's nothing to do with my college??? My teachers are absolutely great??? Some of the finest people I've ever met???? My teachers were bad at secondary, but not at the place I am now. I only blame my secondary teaches for my poor GCSE grades because I had to teach myself the whole secondary school curriculum in 3 months, I had no teaching or input, but that's ancient history now.

I only want to maximise my chances of doing well in my exams by reaching out and sucking out all of the available help I can possibly get, instead of remaining blissfully ignorant to any mistakes. I only care about my education and being seen in a fair light to others who have had an easier ride medically and therefore had more input, no more no less, and I've been encouraged to do what I'm doing by the same teachers who I'm asking for extra tips and work. Don't understand why that's a bad thing, or why it has anything to do with anyone else (unless they are answering my questions, like @jneill kindly does).

I fight for my education. Try dealing chronic medical conditions, missing all secondary school except 3 months because of health conditions, and then tell me that I blame my teachers for being 'bad' teachers. No. I blame my secondary school teachers for flat out refusing to teach me so I had to teach myself once I was healthy enough. That's it. My sixth form college is fabulous, and I'm getting very good grades. I dont take these for granted and want to maximise my chances by doing extra.

This is a bit of a sore spot. Im sure you have good intentions but don't generalise and assume who or how someone is based of a few posts on an internet site.
(edited 7 years ago)
Sorry for kicking off guys :frown: I probably look like an idiot (but I'm not deleting it)