Can you do any short courses (=AS-like) except languages? OP, I saw you're taking Maths, FM, Physics and Economics; so for example what will you do if you find out you don't like economics? :s-smilie:

Reply 5

Plato123

11

llys

Can you do any short courses (=AS-like) except languages? OP, I saw you're taking Maths, FM, Physics and Economics; so for example what will you do if you find out you don't like economics? :s-smilie:

If you don't like a subject, you can always drop the subject and take another subject

Reply 6

llys

17

Yes but what I mean is, if you drop a subject (other than languages) after a year, you won't have any qualification in it, because exams are only at the end of two years.

Reply 7

paperclip

18

llys

Yes but what I mean is, if you drop a subject (other than languages) after a year, you won't have any qualification in it, because exams are only at the end of two years.

I wouldn't see that as that big a problem anyway, none of the people i know have received offers based on AS levels as they're seen as easier. The only reason i took an extra AS level in my second year was out of interest.

Plus, i've found that guys mess up AS levels, and learn to focus and do well during A2 because during AS they're still quite immature. At the end of A2 they realise that it's important and are actually working hard.

Reply 8

cadaeibfeceh

OP

17

llys

Yes but what I mean is, if you drop a subject (other than languages) after a year, you won't have any qualification in it, because exams are only at the end of two years.

You can take "short courses" which are the equivalent of AS levels, and at my school you can do them in Languages, Art, Maths, Critical Thinking...but these still have their exams at the end of two years, you just have fewer lessons in the subject per week.

Reply 9

llys

17

cadaeibfeceh

You can take "short courses" which are the equivalent of AS levels, and at my school you can do them in Languages, Art, Maths, Critical Thinking...but these still have their exams at the end of two years, you just have fewer lessons in the subject per week.

Aahh, OK.

Just out of curiosity - I guess you're not thinking about that yet, but I'm just curious - CIE says PreUs are going to be graded Distinction (D1-D3), Merit (M1-M3), and Pass (P1-P3). This to me sounds like A (high-middle-low) - B (etc.) - C to me, however on their website they say it's equivalent to above A* to E, and people who achieve E at A levels can pass PreUs. I guess they have to say that though, otherwise they'd get fried..

OK so my question is, do you/your teachers think that's true? For example I saw on one school's website (I think it was St Paul's) that they equated M1 with an A at A - level, so there seem to be different views around.

Officially, on a scale of 25
24 (=96%) = D1
22 (=88%~A*) = D2
20 (=80%~A) = D3

18 (=72%~B) M1
16 (=64%~C) M2
14 (=56%~D) = M3

12 (=48%~D) = P1
10 (=40%~E) = P2

I guess I just answered my own question hehe erm :redface:

Still should be interesting to see how results turn out/if it's much harder to pass than A levels.

Reply 10

username160792

0

12

Here says:

Band Grade (A-level equivalence)
Distinction
D1 (Extends beyond A-level A*)
D2 (Likely equivalent to A* at A-level)
D3 (Equivalent to A at A-level)
Merit
M1 (Equivalent to B at A-level)
M2
M3
Pass
P1
P2
P3 (Benchmarked at E grade)

Reply 11

llys

17

Yeah, my question is if that's really true. So for example percentage-wise it is true - 80% is an A at A-level and D3 for Pre-U. However, already the fact that you have to take all your exams in one go at the end of two years is going to make it harder to get 80%, i.e. harder to get a D3 than it would be to get an A in modular A-Level... so then they are not really equivalent.

Reply 12

boo7788

We're doing the pre-u courses in all subjects bar a few next year. We've started the maths course and the content isn't much harder, it's just the exams are more rigorous and precisely graded.

Reply 13

llys

17

boo7788

We're doing the pre-u courses in all subjects bar a few next year. We've started the maths course and the content isn't much harder, it's just the exams are more rigorous and precisely graded.

What subjects are you taking/going to take? (I'm guessing your sig isn't updated as it doesn't have Maths Pre-U in it?)

----
FYI, the UCAS tariff for Pre-U has been set. (Scroll down for table.)

Reply 14

boo7788

Well, I'm still in year 11 so I haven't chosen my subjects yet. It's just that we would sit maths pre-u early if we chose it, and then further maths in our final year. I am almost certainly going to do maths in sixth form though. The AS subjects in my sig are just the exams I'm taking this year. I'm probably going to do maths + further, triple science, and maybe one more.

Reply 15

wit-tank

I'm doing 4 of them- trust me they're harder because not just is the material more in depth, there's one massive exam and no modules, the questions don't lead you through anything they compile your two year knowledge BUT they're hard because the course is impossible to spoon feed.
Try doing further maths with no assigned textbooks and no past papers.

DONT DO THEM UNLESS YOUR A GENIUS.

But if you're great and I mean GREAT at the subject then the opportunity to get a D1 and shine in comparison to A* students is great- this is my situation in Economics which I love.... but not Maths.

Hope this helps!

Reply 16

Farhan.Hanif93

18

Original post by wit-tank

I'm doing 4 of them- trust me they're harder because not just is the material more in depth, there's one massive exam and no modules, the questions don't lead you through anything they compile your two year knowledge BUT they're hard because the course is impossible to spoon feed.
Try doing further maths with no assigned textbooks and no past papers.

DONT DO THEM UNLESS YOUR A GENIUS.

But if you're great and I mean GREAT at the subject then the opportunity to get a D1 and shine in comparison to A* students is great- this is my situation in Economics which I love.... but not Maths.

Hope this helps!

I just looked at a specimen maths paper and, as someone who finished the A-Level in year 12 and got an A* in the A-Level, I'm gonna say that it doesn't seem any more difficult to be honest. The fact that it's a 3 hour paper will make it challenging for some but at a glance, it looked pretty standard to me.

Pre-U

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