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#41

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#41

(Original post by bobndave)
Can I throw in a suggestion that perhaps its not the actual exams that are getting easier, but the grade boundaries are being lowered?

indeed. that is, IMO, one of the best defences for exams not getting easier. another case of government-mediated grade engineering.

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contradiction

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#42

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(Original post by Ben.S.)
Certainly grade boundaries are being lowered in subjects like maths at GCSE - A* is always around 80%, but the A boundary is currently around 60%! Other subjects, like food technology, maintain ridiculously high A* boundaries (~93%). English, on the other hand, can be marked pretty weirdly; so that you can't get a certain grade if you haven't set out a piece in the style THEY deem more suitable, regardless of content.

Ben

There's something seriously weird going on with the Math's GCSE A* grade. I missed a double page in the middle of Paper 1 and still managed an A* - I'm not even that good at Maths!

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#43

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(Original post by timeofyourlife)
i'd say there is more pressure on students these days than a couple of decades ago. however, pressure and improvement in standards are not directly correlated.

Are they not? I beg to differ. Do (alleged) improvements in standards not provide additional pressure for students taking exams?

Ben

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AT82

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#44

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(Original post by piginapoke)
That reminds me: Greek and Latin. Not saying that we should go back to teaching those subjects again, but if one has a good understanding of the roots of words, one can figure out what a lot of unfamiliar words mean without having to look them up. Vocabulary is important - the larger our vocab, the better we can express ourselves. Grammar and vocab on the menu, txt spk out! </rant>

My dad did lattin so understands a lot of meanings of words because of it, it is handy in quizes but not much else. I think it would be hard to teach now because modern kids don't seem to like subjects which are not applied or relevent to modern life. At my school the teachers had a right job trying to get them interested in subjects like English. I guess kids are brighter now in that respect, where as in the old days they would just do what ever they were told more. For example I refused to do modern foreign languages, I doubt I could have done that in the 1960's.

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#45

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(Original post by piginapoke)
Latin is very handy, it helps your English as well as your foreign languages.

I doubt it. It's a dead language.

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#46

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#46

(Original post by Ben.S.)
Are they not? I beg to differ. Do (alleged) improvements in standards not provide additional pressure for students taking exams?

Ben

not with a direct correlation. also depends what you mean by standards; teaching or exams?

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#47

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(Original post by timeofyourlife)
why is it an unfair presumption?

i'd say there is more pressure on students these days than a couple of decades ago. however, pressure and improvement in standards are not directly correlated.

well it's not very nice to hear bad things about qualifications that were recently took, i admit.

quite.

GCSEs as a stand-alone qualification probably aren't (aside from minimum requirements for certain jobs). they're a 'gateway' qualification to better things.

You have a very similar posting style to someone else on here :confused:

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#48

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(Original post by timeofyourlife)
not with a direct correlation. also depends what you mean by standards; teaching or exams?

Of course it's direct - yes, teaching standards are also altered by pressure; whether they are improved or not by being more exam focused is a matter of opinion. I meant the academic standard of exam candidates - there is increased pressure to do well, because more people seem to do well than ever before. Also, the pressure coming from the style of teaching (have people always had syllabus-specific revision aids?) forces up mean marks.

Ben

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#49

(Original post by Ben.S.)
Of course it's direct - yes, teaching standards are also altered by pressure; whether they are improved or not by being more exam focused is a matter of opinion. I meant the academic standard of exam candidates - there is increased pressure to do well, because more people seem to do well than ever before. Also, the pressure coming from the style of teaching (have people always had syllabus-specific revision aids?) forces up mean marks.

Ben

i think you misinterpreted my meaning of 'direct'. i suppose i should have said 'strong' if you're statistically minded.

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(Original post by contradiction)
You have a very similar posting style to someone else on here :confused:

errr thanks, JW.

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#51

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(Original post by timeofyourlife)
i think you misinterpreted my meaning of 'direct'. i suppose i should have said 'strong' if you're statistically minded.

Strong would do fine - it was more a case of misusing the word, rather than misinterpretation!

Ben

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crana

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#52

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#52

(Original post by Vladek)
Perhaps if you could spell "them" correctly then you'd be in a position to comment

it's funny how you pick this guy up on a mistake that's obviously a typo not an actual spelling mistake, when you got upset enough to neg me when I pointed out the difference between "have" and "of" :rolleyes:

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(Original post by Ben.S.)
Strong would do fine - it was more a case of misusing the word, rather than misinterpretation!

Ben

cheek. and i did A-Level Stats. case closed on exam standards judging by my correlation terminology, i think :cool:

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(Original post by timeofyourlife)
cheek. and i did A-Level Stats. case closed on exam standards judging by my correlation terminology, i think :cool:

It is made difficult by the fact that only one of the variables is tangible and quantifiable.

Ben

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#55

(Original post by Ben.S.)
It is made difficult by the fact that only one of the variables is tangible and quantifiable.

Ben

really? i thought both variables were pretty ambiguous.

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#56

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(Original post by timeofyourlife)
really? i thought both variables were pretty ambiguous.

You can measure academic performance - that's what has given rise to this debate. You can't measure 'pressure' and, therefore, cannot analyse the two together. I still think that standards (judging by exam marks; which is probably the part you dispute) parallel the pressure teachers and students are put under to attain yet higher standards.

Ben

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#57

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#57

(Original post by Ben.S.)
(judging by exam marks; which is probably the part you dispute)
Ben

correct.

(BTW, i've already established that your name is Ben

)

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#58

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#58

(Original post by timeofyourlife)
correct.

(BTW, i've already established that your name is Ben

)

How astute of you.

Michael

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