Benji Posted 23 January 2006 Posted 23 January 2006 One of my major gripes in life are these pompous that keep saing a levels are getting easier. To them i say try doing the 4 A2's I'm doing, Maths, History, Biology and P.E(against popular opinion, this is not a drop out subject, it is just as hard as biology believe me) and god my head has been left spinning after the last few weeks. To make matters worse they have the exams on the same/next day, as if to put a little challenge in there. I had Napoleon's module today which over the last day or two has required so much bloody reading and remembering of historical interpretations and dates. And now tomorrow i have a biology module whose specification is twice as long as any other i've had to get to know. I know it all pays off, but it's cack to be fair. I enjoy doing it and want to succeed, but when these idiots in the so called 'high up media' roles rub salt in the wound and p1ss on achievements in education and brand them easy AAARRRGGH Ok rant over, as you can tell i've just finished with all my biology notes and my head is crammed I really envy anyone who has gone through a levels, put in the effort and come out with good grades. Oh and yea, anyone had any/got any in the next week or so left? How are they going?
Milky Posted 23 January 2006 Posted 23 January 2006 i finished my A2 maths in the summer. it is difficult, but i must say that looking through the past papers the ones from a few years ago were alot harder. having said that though, it's a new syllabus for you isn't it, mine was the last year for that syllabus, so i can't comment to much on the maths. i wouldn't know too much about those other subjects as i didn't do them, but i know that alot of very clever people struggled with the biology. i'm doing exams at uni at the moment, in a period of 5 at the moment, got 2 left, it's not easy, i'll be glad when it's all over as i'm sure you will be.
Lukeh Posted 23 January 2006 Posted 23 January 2006 Im doing AS1's so i can sympathise, they suck cock, but you just got to rough them out! Had 4 exams in the past 2 weeks just to let you know.
Bert Posted 23 January 2006 Posted 23 January 2006 One of my major gripes in life are these pompous that keep saing a levels are getting easier. To them i say try doing the 4 A2's I'm doing, Maths, History, Biology and P.E(against popular opinion, this is not a drop out subject, it is just as hard as biology believe me) and god my head has been left spinning after the last few weeks. To make matters worse they have the exams on the same/next day, as if to put a little challenge in there. I had Napoleon's module today which over the last day or two has required so much bloody reading and remembering of historical interpretations and dates. And now tomorrow i have a biology module whose specification is twice as long as any other i've had to get to know. I know it all pays off, but it's cack to be fair. I enjoy doing it and want to succeed, but when these idiots in the so called 'high up media' roles rub salt in the wound and p1ss on achievements in education and brand them easy AAARRRGGH Ok rant over, as you can tell i've just finished with all my biology notes and my head is crammed I really envy anyone who has gone through a levels, put in the effort and come out with good grades. Oh and yea, anyone had any/got any in the next week or so left? How are they going? I'm doing A2 english just handed my 3000 word bitch of an essay in, we've just started on poems and a play now. I also have a exam on "Anatomy and Physiology" for one of my units in Leisure and Recreation tomorrow, and we got told about this on Friday, shows clearly how much my school sucks ass, i'm just glad i've had the weekend to revise and the added bonus that i did P.e at GCSE and still have my folder.
Cat Burger Posted 23 January 2006 Posted 23 January 2006 I had a rough time with A levels, as I lack ability in any other subject apart from English. It's hard work but it's worth it, and yeah I share your disdain for what is written in the media. It will reduce the credibility of our achievements when it comes to entering the world of work, that's for sure! I handed a big essay in today, then had a two hour exam and now I'm finishing off a slightly less dense (but harder) piece that's in for tommorow. I'm bloody knackered, no attention span, that's why I'm on here
Benji Posted 23 January 2006 Author Posted 23 January 2006 no attention span, that's why I'm on here hahaha, yeh exactly the same, i have to take little breaks in between sections I agree bluearmy5 i have seen some past papers and thought ay up but more often than not they have had different syllabuses, so the reason it's hard is because we're never taught it as you say Know what you mean Bertfox, i did English at AS, sucked at it, never enjoyed it really which didn't help plus we had a big class which frustrated our teachers. That combined with History meant for a LOT of essays so i'm happy i didn't carry it on. Good luck everyone with exams coming up
holly Posted 24 January 2006 Posted 24 January 2006 you are mad 4 A2's!!! i only did p.e at AS that was hard enough would never of been able to do it A2!! and only did english at AS aswell!! would hate to do a-levels again, give me uni anyday !!
holly Posted 24 January 2006 Posted 24 January 2006 I'm doing A2 english just handed my 3000 word bitch of an essay in, we've just started on poems and a play now. I also have a exam on "Anatomy and Physiology" for one of my units in Leisure and Recreation tomorrow, and we got told about this on Friday, shows clearly how much my school sucks ass, i'm just glad i've had the weekend to revise and the added bonus that i did P.e at GCSE and still have my folder. i did L&R aswell, peice of piss!! well i would of got AA if i had done work!only ended up with BC taught me no the rely on cousework! A&P aint just GCSE though! mind you my teacher was shite for L&R so maybe thats why i only got a D for this!!
The People's Hero Posted 24 January 2006 Posted 24 January 2006 I did the AS/A2 s in their introductory year and my results were all over the place. The AS in maths was rock, I got a U in one module. In English Lit, I got 98% in TWO modules. I hope they levelled out a bit now.
Cat Burger Posted 24 January 2006 Posted 24 January 2006 I did the AS/A2 s in their introductory year and my results were all over the place. The AS in maths was rock, I got a U in one module. In English Lit, I got 98% in TWO modules. I hope they levelled out a bit now. In my English Lit A2 last year I dropped five marks in one module and got an E or a D in the other, I can't remember. Luckily my coursework was a high B aswell so it ended up as that over all. I must've just gone off on another tangent or something I think it was war poetry I did shit in and I bloody loved that as well!
Anish Posted 24 January 2006 Posted 24 January 2006 The exams might not be any easier, but I reckon that the marking has become more lenient over the years. It's far too convenient for the government to proclaim year after year that education standards are rising. I'm not trying to undermine students' efforts these days - I'm sure lots of you work really hard and put lots of hours in - but there's far too many A's awarded these days to make it easy to distinguish between the best students and the good students. It's resulted in universities having selection tests and interviews when before they could rely simply on predicted grades. Also, the plethora of A grades mean that it's increasingly more difficult to get good graduate jobs- because so many people have all the grade requirements you have to do much more than study to get the best jobs.
Guest Posted 25 January 2006 Posted 25 January 2006 One other thing to note, and muddy the waters. On my Uni course, us part-timers, who took our A-levels many years ago in some cases, are averaging higher marks than the full-timers, who finished their exams last summer.
The People's Hero Posted 25 January 2006 Posted 25 January 2006 Could be because you're there to learn and will apply yourselves. Most undergrads are pissed up **** wasters. I should know, I only just finished being one. A student that is.. I'm still carrying the pissed up **** waster torch.
CosbehFox Posted 25 January 2006 Posted 25 January 2006 A2 History is the most daunting propsect which I have faced, its **** rock hard but its appartently the most valued A-Level.
Random Burglar Posted 26 January 2006 Posted 26 January 2006 A2 History is the most daunting propsect which I have faced, its **** rock hard but its appartently the most valued A-Level. iv got one of those 2
Bert Posted 27 January 2006 Posted 27 January 2006 In my English Lit A2 last year I dropped five marks in one module and got an E or a D in the other, I can't remember. Luckily my coursework was a high B aswell so it ended up as that over all. I must've just gone off on another tangent or something I think it was war poetry I did shit in and I bloody loved that as well! What poems and novels did u do ryan??
Cat Burger Posted 27 January 2006 Posted 27 January 2006 What poems and novels did u do ryan?? For the war module?...umm Regeneration by Pat Barker, All quiet on the western front by Eric Maria Remarque...The usual poets Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon. Did Othello and 'Songs of Innocence and experience' by William Blake for the other module. And Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess + Brighton Rock by Graham Greene for my coursework..phew How about you, how's it going?
The People's Hero Posted 27 January 2006 Posted 27 January 2006 I remember having to write on Thomas Hardy - Return of the Native. I got 22% or something and in fact 3 people got around the same figure. All three of us retook the module. I got 98% as did a friend of mine and the other girl got 85% or something
Cat Burger Posted 27 January 2006 Posted 27 January 2006 I remember having to write on Thomas Hardy - Return of the Native. I got 22% or something and in fact 3 people got around the same figure. All three of us retook the module. I got 98% as did a friend of mine and the other girl got 85% or something Yeah it's tough, especially in your final exams when there are no chances to retake. I aced a few on the way, but I'd say some of it comes down to luck. Examiners disagree with you, you're not wrong, but I reckon they mark you down. You can also write about slightly the wrong thing for an hour and get nothing!! (*Cough* my first year)
Monk Posted 27 January 2006 Posted 27 January 2006 I know this is a massive debate. For me the problem is - how do the uni's distinguish between the good and the best when looking at applcaitions - if so many people get A's then the name of the grade becomes worthless. I finished my A levels 6 years ago and have been through Uni. i'd like to think that the reason people are getting better grades these days is not because they are any more intelligent - you should stil;l get the same ish proportion of geeks to brians. I am sure that the exams have not got any easier, but I believe that it has got easier to get a higher grade (those are 2 different things). This is a lot to do with the transparancy you now get with having a number of 'points' towards a grade. 6 years ago you just got a straight grade bosch and deal with it. Good thing or bad thing I dont know. All the best in your exams guys - they will not be any easier I am sure.
Bert Posted 27 January 2006 Posted 27 January 2006 For the war module?...umm Regeneration by Pat Barker, All quiet on the western front by Eric Maria Remarque...The usual poets Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon. Did Othello and 'Songs of Innocence and experience' by William Blake for the other module. And Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess + Brighton Rock by Graham Greene for my coursework..phew How about you, how's it going? We did them in As year and did ok on them, the poems confused me though!! Now I've had to do a 300 word essay comparing "a handmaids tale" to "nineteen eighty-four" and we're now on to poems and a play again, we're doing the collecetd poems of emily dickinson or summat like that and i can't remember the book we doing, (i only started it today!!)
TrickyTrev Posted 27 January 2006 Posted 27 January 2006 Doing English, Sociology and Economics. I have to get 3 A's to meet my offer for Oxford and it is tough, hard work and very stressful.
Benji Posted 27 January 2006 Author Posted 27 January 2006 Doing English, Sociology and Economics. I have to get 3 A's to meet my offer for Oxford and it is tough, hard work and very stressful. Thats good work mate, best of luck, what course you applied to do?
TrickyTrev Posted 27 January 2006 Posted 27 January 2006 Thats good work mate, best of luck, what course you applied to do? Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
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