Congratulations to all A Level students!

[yourbank]

Minor rant here. Congratulations to all A level students who have achieved the grades they needed to go to University today. Ignore the jibes of "easier than they used to be", "dumbing down grades". It's an achievement and they have said they were easier for years. I am sure if I went back and did A levels again they would be easier, becuase maturity teaches you how to organise time and not become too stressed.

I hated those people who said that the exams were easier when I got my result and I still do today. They didn't sit the exams for the first time, they didn't go through two years of pressure(results can make you or break you), and they did not do your coursework/exams.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL A LEVEL STUDENTS, good luck for the future.

[kennythecelt]

I'll second that.

 

Congratulations to the A level students and those in Scotland who got their results last week.

 

Us oldies should also ponder if life pressures on young adults today are greater than they were in the past. My personal view is that perhaps they are, and I say that as a proud dad and someone who works in the voluntary sector with young people.

[**Tilly**]

Totally agree

 

Congratulations guys

[gyzmo]

I disagree (now I'm for it) on the subject of easier grades.

 

My brother recently got his GCSEs. His handwriting is appalling, his grammar and spelling worse, yet he got a C grade (and it wasn't just a case that he improved for the exam - he was getting good grades for coursework which was littered with errors).

 

The tragedy is that whilst students should be congratulated for putting all the effort in that they do, they are unfortunately being robbed by not being held to higher standards. That is no good for them or for the country.

 

Exam grades may be improving, but I cannot see any improvement in the standard of students coming out of the class. I am forever correcting people's mistakes and having to refer to authors of letters, notes etc. to ask what they are referring to because the spelling and grammar is so appalling that entire paragraphs are rendered into gibberish.

 

And the people who were on my degree...well how they managed to I do not know, but suffice to say that marks generally were very poor.

 

I know that will make me unpopular but someone does need to say it. And yes, I too have gone through the years of coursework, exams, etc and know what it is like.

[kennythecelt]

Perfectly valid point of view Giz:)

[gyzmo]

I think so Kenny! oh forgot to say the grade C was in English!

 

And as well I do wish to express the congratulations and good luck to all students!

[yourbank]

I remember many moons ago when I got my results and they said that they were easier.It was a slap in my face for the work I had done and the pressure that I had undergone throughout that time. Yes there are things that to me appear to be a lowering of standards namely that students do not appear to be able to write English Lanuage anymore(innit )

My first post was from watching BBC News(love unbiased reporting.....NOT) and they seemed to forget that students worked hard and those not achieving grades that they should would have rightly felt annoyed by it all. I may have inadvertently shown how fick I am, innit coz I did my exams and they were well good ;D

[Bona]

Kids need to achieve they need role models they need inspiration they need understanding they need people to steer them in the right way some can acheive in exams some can acheive in vocational training some to just can acheive buy learning to read on BBc 2 tonight ar the proms the orchestra is made up from youngsters from isreal and palistine working together they have achieved something in there own way we should be proud of all those who have achieved in there A levels and next week in there gcse I heard a headmaster speak and he said he was increadable proud of those children in his school who had achieved GCSE passes and A level passes in high grades but he was also increadable proud of two children who went to his school with the expecancy of no gcse passes and obtained 4 grade c's each to him that was as good or if not better and I agree if any child can obtain a sence of acheivement WELL DONE

[skbuncks]

Kids need to achieve they need role models they need inspiration they need understanding they need people to steer them in the right way some can acheive in exams some can acheive in vocational training some to just can acheive buy learning to read on BBc 2 tonight ar the proms the orchestra is made up from youngsters from isreal and palistine working together they have achieved something in there own way we should be proud of all those who have achieved in there A levels and next week in there gcse I heard a headmaster speak and he said he was increadable proud of those children in his school who had achieved GCSE passes and A level passes in high grades but he was also increadable proud of two children who went to his school with the expecancy of no gcse passes and obtained 4 grade c's each to him that was as good or if not better and I agree if any child can obtain a sence of acheivement WELL DONE

 

They also need punctuation....lol

[Lula]

Well my DD's boyfriend got straight A's and is bound for Oxford in October!!! So well done indeed.

 

On the subject of grammar and spelling AND handwriting, this really isn't being taught to a sufficient standard in primary and secondary schools anymore.

 

No one under the age of about 25 seems to know how to write and layout a letter at all anymore, this was a constant moan of mine at DD's teachers.

[vincentfan]

They also need punctuation....lol

 

Also correct grammar and spell-check

Edited August 15, 2008 by vincentfan

[dave]

The last time that there were not a record number of higher grades was 1982.

 

To say they are not getting easier is a slap in the face for those that took them in that year.

 

They must have been as thick a pig sh**e in 1982 if they are not getting easier.

 

The GCSE maths paper is certainly getting easier. I took it a couple of years ago (my uncle is a maths teacher) just to see how easy/hard it would be. I got an A. I think there was one ambiguous question that I was marked down on.

 

We then compared it to another from about 6 years prior - and yes, it was most certainly easier in my eyes.

 

...that said, congrats to those who got the grades wanted/needed for uni places etc... Keep it up.

[gyzmo]

Its funny because I remember the change to GCSE, especially in maths. Previously, questions were of the old style (e.g, determine the radius of a cirlce with a diameter etc etc or "prove that x=2 in the following formula).

 

The next year, questions were along the following lines:

 

Pardeep and Jenny have bought a cake. They want to give it to their 5 friends (sometimes actually named) to have an equal slice each. How many slices are needed in total? How would you cut the cake? (my answer to the second was "with a knife" - i still passed.)

[gyzmo]

Which reminds me of another question featured on Have I Got News For You (sorry to drag this thread on). two questons with the answers were given. One was "Find x" [in a formual]. The student had circled x in the diagram and wrote "here it is!".

 

The second was to expand a formula. The student copied the formula several times but with each one the gap between characters increased in length - thus the forumla was expanded!

 

I think they should be managers pretty soon!