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A -levels getting better because of easier subjects?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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*is having trouble breathing*
Easier subjects? Media easier yes. Psychology - easy? It's actually really hard considering the amount you have to learn and the level to which you must learn it to attain a good grade. It can get complicated in parts, especially if you haven't carried on science. Personally I never found it hard - just too much at moments. I did psychology and sociology and yes compared to physics or maths they are easier, but also completely different.
I don't think it's fair of anyone to say they're becoming easier. Mark schemes and marking criteria change almost ever year and with the new AS/A2 system - you can't compare all A-level results. Of course with our new technology and even more materials to study and revise from coupled with a larger amount of students applying to university of course grades are going to annually improve.
It annoys me how they brush good results off as the papers being dumbed-down, can they not accept young people work hard to get a good education these days?
at universities this is certainly the case, i read an article in the independent recently written by a chemistry lecturer saying how a lot of universities are sacrifcing their science departments to expand or create new departments trying not to generalise but like media studies, psychology, etc.
doing a chemistry degree i certainly get p*ssed off at the difference in difficulty and workload required in the degrees, eg some pals of mine had 10-15 hours a week on their courses, i had that over monday and tuesday, i guess the one bonus this creates is it increases the value of anyone doing a BSC
[/bitter rant]
Just to add even more about psychology - I don't know why so many more people are doing it because personally I despised it by the end of the course. As you learn such a wide range from the psychological field it all contradicts itself in the end...and well...I just hate it.
As for that article - of course people are choosing A-levels they think they'll do best in. Now there's just even more to choose from.
We did some past papers from 1990 and I scored so much better on those than on the 1999 paper (I did my A Levels in 2000). In 1990 they asked you straight out what they wanted to know (e.g. integrate blah blah blah). On my paper they had all this bollocks story behind it of how John needs to carry a window over a hill in wellies and sunglasses.... you'd read the whole paragraph and still not know what you were supposed to be doing.
:yes: Very good point. No-one has faith in our education system anymore; especially students and teachers.
(I got my As :hyper: )
i think thats a goo point, i think the chem. department at my uni is totally inept and because of this have no faith in them, and i think this leads to my dislike and lack of motivation towards the course, id say the above applies all the way down the education system
I wasn't in favour of the AS Levels when they first came out either, I'm glad I did my A-Levels when it was still the good old choose 3 subjects.
I think the pressure grows every year and therefore young people wear themselves out busting their arses to get the grades they need.
Well done everyone who got their results today.
BUT there is the serious issue of if so many people get an A it does mean less.
oops, was not blaming you. meant more the media types really. the news people who also show the swots who are so obviously going to get 2590685 grade As open their results live on TV
And my B in geography.
There not easy though. I got a D in History:( For some reason and a after a year of trying in Biology a U.
I HATE the way the media acts likes its all a piece of piss.
There are two main reasons for the high number of passes. Firstly, the move from harder subjects (e.g. any of the sciences) to less challening ones (e.g media studies). Why would the various heads of the Qualification and Examination board be pushing so hard as to not let anybody call into tdoubt the quality of A-levels? They are clearly trying to cover up their own short-comings.
Secondly, there is far too much coursework. I'm not saying that coursework isn't valid, just that it carries too much weight overall. Scotland has reported a 5% drop in the number of passes. This coincides with them restructuring their system to place a lot less precidence on coursework.
Coursework is too unreliable and, at the moment, is far too susceptible to outside interference.
It is not right that a 'C-student' can score an 'A' based on a couple of pieces of coursework.
It seems like the only benchmark for quality is the 'Super' A-level. Only the top candidates are allowed to enter in for it, and 50% of them failed this year.
it is rather evil that the media does portray a levels are easier because, the system is different now, for the better or worse i dont know
personally i slogged my guts off for my a levels (i got all B's in maths physics and chemistry) especially on physics and maths and im off to UCL next year to study chemistry with maths of which i cant wait (partially for the union bar, haha)
ooh and i have a decent point, thews news channels say the amount of passes have gone up, do they know waht a pass is, AN E!!!! all it means is more idiots have been trainded to answers the questions better such that they can pass
students should get more credit (not media studies ones though! the amount of true brain power it requires, is frankly a joke)
oh and to be more objective about this, actually every single centre(school/college) cannot change the amount of A's and E's it awards by more than 5% per year, even if its a good year itll get marked up or down, (my chemistry tutor was telling us one year, that the way the exam board moderated work, noone got A's even though some people really deserved them and then didnt get their university place)
I think the reason for the drop in sciences is because people find it boring and so it is harder for people in that sense. But if we have full choice over our A-levels why should we do subjects we're not going to enjoy? I know if I had to do Maths or sciences at A level I wouldn't have lasted the first term without dying of boredom. If people are playing the system and doing easier A levels like media studies then I think you have to admire their initiative if nothing else - if they can't do the work they'll soon be found out at uni so there's no real gain. Besides which unemployment is higher for "easy" A levels and degrees for obvious reasons so it all balances out in the end.
I only had one module of coursework out of eighteen that I did, in fact most coursework is in the "harder" subjects like maths and science. But yes coursework can be drafted over and over until it's perfect and outside sources but to be honest isn't that more relevant to real life - isn't it like preparing a company report? I mean you wouldn't just go into a company presentation and blather on without the necessary preparation like in an exam so perhaps coursework is more relevant to the working world.
Did you take a Higher Extension Award? (the Super A-level). One of my friends did and he said it was comparable to a low degree level say 1st year or 2nd year. The work is also a lot more like a degree with lots of outside reading, this is usually on top of their normal A-levels that they take. I think it would be unrealistic to expect everyone to do those instead of the normal A-level, also they're just marked on a pass or fail - no grades.
I'm sure they are still hard, but that makes NO difference if too many people pass, then it doesnt matter how hard they are they are going to worth less.
Even if A-levels were the hardest exam you could ever do if everyone passes then they are worth less than if less pass.
The exams aren't meant to be so hard only a select few pass. Qualifications are about gaining an education that is formed not only from your own hard work and determination, but from the guidance, support and inspiration from teachers.
People do not pass simply because they are guided, people pass because they put in the work themselves.
Coursework is vital. Not only does it relieve pressure for the exams, but it lets people develop their skills of research and working to deadlines. The amount of work some people put into coursework is staggering. And the standard at which some are produced is really high. If someone works hard at their coursework and receives an A for that, but only Cs in the examined module it does not mean the person is incapable it perhaps means coursework is more suited to their abilities; and they would deserve say an overall B.
I don't have much faith in the system and I do wonder about marking, but I know students are working harder than ever now and have the means to do, so success is deserved.
I don't think the A-level has lost its worth though - my A-levels certainly aren't worthless!
Exams are about assessing the capabilities of students. It's the lessons which are about gaining an education.
Precisely. It is a barometer of an individuals achievements.
As am employer, I have to say that they mean less to me now than they used to. I used you use the grades to differentiate between people's academic abilities, but if everyone passes then I can't do that.
Besides, do you honestly believe that teenagers today are more intelligent than those of my generation, or even those of my father's?
That isn't a reflection on students, but on a system in which so many people can get high grades.
just because the pass rate goes up doesn't mean everybody is suddenly getting high grades
thats true. Anything above about 33% is a pass usually. Howwver i suspect the majority of people are getting Es and Ds. Not the higher grades.
I didn't say everyone was.
More people than ever are getting pass grades. Doesn't that worry you, or do you assume that this means that children are more intelligent and capable than they were last year?
I would have loved to have taken one of those exams had I had the chance to. I got an A all my Alevels, but if you look at the actual marks there is still alot of variety-
589/600
549/600
506/600
499/600
Thats 90 marks- nearly a grade-but noone will ever know about that because theyre all the same in the eyes of the system...
And back onto if theyre getting easier, from looking at old papers, i found some of the ones from the 80s were easier for me than the current ones. But then again, looking at geology ones expecially in the last 5 years or so, the ones i sat in June were easier than those i tried.
I heard on the Radio someone suggesting that the teachers knew how to prepare their studenst better. I think that has a part to play in it. My geography teacher had taken studied the last 10 years worth of questions, especially the more recent ones, and took us through the all essays we were likely to have to answer, both generally and specifically, and in the exam it was just a case of churning out the essay that fitted.
I dont know the statistics for this year, but it definately worked last year- 25 students, 13 A's, 11B's and a D.
But does that prove we know our stuff or that we know how to answer the question?
Exactly - which proves A-levels still have their worth and aren't getting easier.
MoK - I said qualification - which encompasses the learning process and being tested for your abilities.
No, I don't believe students are more intelligent. It's just that not only does the system work in a different way now, but students are taught differently and have access to so many more educational resources ie. CD-Roms, the internet, revision guides etc.
Of course you can differentiate - there's a huge difference between simply a pass 'E' grade and an 'A'. As there's a huge variety of subjects to choose now it also means some people have breadth in their A-levels allowing for diverse skills whereas some specialise in certain subjects which allows for well-tuned specific skills. And as Faerielights said there are differences within grades - some people skim the grade whilst others are well into it.
In employment obviously once you have a degree the importance of your A-levels lessens, but wouldn't you rather have someone who has showed consistant academic success thus showing a dedicated and determined attitude plus the right skills for the job?
Where is the value in having an A-level at 'A' grade, if 20% of people in your school year have one too?
How I see it is the majority of people have studied really hard and when they come out with stuff like this I imagine them people being a bit disheartened, I know I would be.
So for all them who did do well and get the grades stuff them people who say they were easy or easier, you deserved all you got and well done :thumb:
What do you suggest we replace it with then?
I know I was quite capable of getting four A grades. As it was I got one A and three B grades. Had I taken different subjects I would have got lower (science subjects) but this does not make me any less intelligent.
I don't think grades should be used to assess academic abilities to be honest. Sometimes people don't get the grades they are capable of, usually because of HARD exams.