Can unintelligent people get A's at A levels if they work hard?

Anonymous #1

Reply 1

idk01

Well look at Michael Gove...

Reply 2

esralled

Not really. At GCSE sure, but not A-Level. A-Level expects a certain amount of prior knowledge at the beginning.

Reply 3

yotsr123

If you have done the GCSE equivalent of the A level subject it will be much easier for you, but to answer your question yes it is very possible.
You must have good time management and you must be able to dedicate a good chunk of time to your studies; make good notes, practice papers, etc.
Once you do that you should be fine. There are many resources to help on the internet if you don't understand something also so there isn't a reason why someone couldn't get an A level.

Reply 4

Gent2324

Careers Forum Helper

well depends what your definition of unintelligent is really. ive seen complete idiots get straight a*s and clever people get D's.

Reply 5

Anonymous #2

Absolutely. I’m sure you’re not unintelligent. It’s about hard work and revision. Lots and lots of revision. If you put the effort in you’ll have the results to show for it. Think positively!

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

Original post by Gent2324

well depends what your definition of unintelligent is really. ive seen complete idiots get straight a*s and clever people get D's.

Intelligence = good grades
clever people getting D's either means they're bad test takers (unlikely but still possible) or didn't study
As for idiots getting straight a*s, they probability worked really hard
Are you talking about a levels?

Reply 7

LostAccount

What you get taught in private schools that you don't get taught in state schools is that knowledge for the subject is 25% of the exam and knowing how to answer is 75% of the exam. You can have relatively zero knowledge of a subject but by knowing how to answer the question you can still get good passing grades at A-level. Equally you can be an expert in a subject but by not knowing how to structure an answer in an exam you're going to end up with a D.

Focus on practising past papers and learning how to answer the exam itself. The rest isn't as important.

Reply 8

_gcx

Study Forum Helper

I wouldn't say so, I would call someone who can get an A/A* at A-level, through rote or otherwise, reasonably intelligent. Obviously it's all relative.

Reply 9

Gent2324

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by Anonymous

well your definition doesnt really make sense.
youre asking if you need to be someone that gets good grades in order to get good grades? that would mean that anyone that gets good grades is intelligent by your logic.

as for the clever people getting D's, in my opinion intelligence has nothing to do with exams whatsoever, someone who runs their own business and is making 6 figures a year i would view as intelligent, if that same person got a D in their exam i wouldnt think any different of them. just look at richard branson for example, hes not intelligent by your definition

the idiots that got straight a's spent their whole life revising rather than doing something productive for self - improvement

yes im talking about a levels