English Education System

[Cyfr]

Im currently in the last year of highschool preparing for my GCSE's.
We did out mock tests just before Christmas, now I didn't revise for these as I deemed them not important and didn't want to get all stressed about em.
There are 6sets in our year, #1 is 'cleverest' and it goes down from there.
Im in #1 for maths. There are three papers, higher intermediate and foundation.

I did higher paper, while class #2 and #3 do intermediate. Most of my class get a C on the higher. Sets #2 and #3 got B's because they did an easier paper.. but just couldn't get an A.

To be this is really fucked up. Why do we not have one test that is easy to hard? You may say that #1 is not as clever as #2 and #3, but when we all do the same test #1 get much better results.
*shrug*

 

[Cdr]

If memory serves (and its going back a good 6 years), we had the choice as to which paper we wanted to do. If we were put in for the higher papers, then we had the option of changing that and going for the intermediate one. With ours tho, the highest grade you could get with the intermediate was a C. So if you had the chance of getting an A or B then you went for the higher one. If you felt you had no chance of getting A or B, then you could play it 'safe' and go for the intermediate paper.

I think this was for science tho.......not sure if the same applied to Maths, can't remember

 

[raw]

School, those were the days... not

Think i fucked up in just about all of my exams, don't worry about it!

 

[Will]

School, those were the days... not

Think i fucked up in just about all of my exams, don't worry about it!

Shhh, don't tell them that.

 

[.Wilier.]

TBH, and Im showing a slight lack of knowledge here, I have no idea how GCSE's work.

I was lucky enough to do O levels (of which I got 11) and iirc it was pretty easy to suss out. If you got a C or above, it was a pass and classed as "having got an O level" if it was D or below, you didnt get anything.

Now it seems that someone can say that they got 15 GCSE's, even thoguh they may all have been marked as E's.



(or something)

 

[Xtro]

Good luck but dont panic.

If you fuck up you can do resits, don't forget that.

I remember sitting in an exam and staring out of the window for two hours. I was asked why I hadn't even filled in my name and I replied something like "because this has as much use as you in my life".

I was right.

 

[Cdr]

Willier - Most employers / colleges only count those at C and above. What his question is, is that someone doing an easier paper (intermediate) gets a B, and then someone who does the more difficult higher paper only gets a C then it looks like the person who got the B is more intelligent, how can this be?

But like people say, you can do resits and exams aren't the be all and end all of life, so don't panic

 

[babs]

Cdr is right, or at least was when I took my GCSEs. I took maths in *works it out* '93 and if you went for intermediate the highest grade you could get was a C. Those in advanced had C as the lowest, anything lower was failed. I took intermediate as a soft option to get a C

 

[Rubric]

Cdr is right, or at least was when I took my GCSEs. I took maths in *works it out* '93 and if you went for intermediate the highest grade you could get was a C. Those in advanced had C as the lowest, anything lower was failed. I took intermediate as a soft option to get a C

I took mine in 94.

Me & my mate Rob were asked to take the higher paper. At that time you could get a B on the intermediate paper but u needed 90% or above. He took the high paper and got a C i took the intermediate and aced it for the B seemed a little unfair to me as well.

 

[kanonfodda]

When I took my maths GCSE, I took the higher paper.

The thing to rememeber is, the intermediate(sp) paper only goes up to C or B, can't remember which. but to get top grade (b or C) on intermediate takes 85%. To get the same grade on higher takes 45% or there abouts, hence it "easier" to get a reasonable grade on the higher paper.

 

[Cyfr]

Although it seems you need 60% on intermediate to get B and 50% on higher to get C which I think is even worse.

 

[old.Osy]

School performance doesn't reflect one's Intelligence or Witts. It reflects the ability to accumulate and reproduce data. You'd be better off studying on yourself, in a big library.

 

[Dukat]

School performance doesn't reflect one's Intelligence or Witts. It reflects the ability to accumulate and reproduce data. You'd be better off studying on yourself, in a big library.

in a way i agree, i left high school with 3 D grade GCSE's (english science and maths), from there i went striaght to college, blagged my way onto an intermediate GNVQ course, that was two years ago, now i am on the second year of my National Diploma, and provided i do well, i can go right up to a degree course

highschool grades help but are not the "be-all" and "end-all", if u screw up, dont sweat it, just get to college, get on whatever course u can, and then you can go from there to whatever level you want to. and dont worry about the pre-exam nerves i remember what it was like, didnt sleep the night before, was visibly shaking as i went in just do ya best m8y

 

[.Wilier.]

Willier - Most employers / colleges only count those at C and above. What his question is, is that someone doing an easier paper (intermediate) gets a B, and then someone who does the more difficult higher paper only gets a C then it looks like the person who got the B is more intelligent, how can this be?

But like people say, you can do resits and exams aren't the be all and end all of life, so don't panic

Right gotcha.
When I was last at school (86) we had O levels (higher I guess) and CSE's (intermediate/lower). Kind of got rid of the Higher/lower grade problem I suppose.

 

[Whipped]

Cdr is right, or at least was when I took my GCSEs. I took maths in *works it out* '93 and if you went for intermediate the highest grade you could get was a C. Those in advanced had C as the lowest, anything lower was failed. I took intermediate as a soft option to get a C

I took my GCSEs in '94 I think. I also opted for the higher Maths paper and got a B. Still not sure to this day how I got that. I must be an idiot savaunt(sp?).

 

[Tenko]

Must admit the GCSE system is a bit wierd.

I did mine in 1990 but it was simple back then (they were just like easy o-levels ). I got good results (all above c) and even better A-levels and it was all useless when trying to get a decent job.

These days I'd tell kids to study hard in subjects they like and if they like none get onto a vocational course asap.

 

[SilverHood]

Yeah, the education system in England is appalling.
I should know, I went from the top notch Danish system to the failing English one.

I did intermediate maths, so highest I could get was a B. As a result, were were only taught intermediate maths, which shafted me when I started physics at A-Level.

Cyfr, I'd do higher maths anyway - a B at higher is still worth more than a B at Intermediate, no matter what anyone says.

And I fully agree, there should be one exam for everyone... this splitting of higher and lower tiers just penalises everyone, and benefits no one.

Incidentally, no one doing intermediate at my school got a B in maths, despite having easily achieved that result in the mock exams. I personally blame my maths teacher, or rather, the lack of one for the final year

 

[Loxleyhood]

GCSEs are easy, it's not even worth taking them really. Unless you are in fact a chimp you need not to worry. I did mine last year and got one C (technology) 3 Bs and the rest As. I got an A in both German and Maths and I am utterly useless in both. In the German oral I did in fact say, "Ich rauche meine Zimmer."

 

[Cdr]

GCSEs are easy, it's not even worth taking them really. Unless you are in fact a chimp you need not to worry.

I presume you got 10 A*s then?

 

[Loxleyhood]

I presume you got 10 A*s then?

No, but if I had of done any revision I would have.

 

[Deady]

Just do intermediate

Who needs an A anyway, do well on intermediate and get a B

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Erm sorry to say you are all a bit wrong

Intermediate can only get a B as highest. For that they need like %85+ percent (This changes yearly). Higher tier can get up to an A*. For the hier tier to get a B they need only, %70+ (Once again all the grade boundries change). But, heres there catch. Me getting a B at intermediate gets less "Points" then someone gettin B at hier.

These points for all you're grades are added up and decide what courses etc you can do at college. May not seem like much, but if you are wanting in on a heavily overly subscribed course they make all the difference.

And anyway they don't let people who are clearly A/A* or even B at higher tier take the lower papers. At least the schools round here don't.

 

[Cdr]

Changed a lot since I did them then, none of this points rubbish - if you got 5 A-Cs (inc Maths, English and science), then you were able to goto college and do whatever you want.

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Yes, and with new UCAS "points" introduced in 2001. You can see much more accurately how retarded you actually are

 

[Munkey]

the other papers are easy tho. I could do the foundation paper when i began my GCSE's ffs :/ The higher is an absolute bitch, which i only got a C for, get far more kudos if you say you did the higher than the foundation.

 

[Munkey]

aye, they;ve changed the UCAS points around a bit to accomodate AS levels. Was much easier to understand when they were just plain old A-levels :/

 

[Deadmanwalking]

I was simply saying that those "points" that you get for GCSE's relate to the new UCAS system and whatever other shit the government want to come up with.

 

[GekuL]

When I did it, lowest you could get on higher was a B. Bit risky.

The system seems a little fucked up though. My little brother is very intelligent ( could get A*s in everything else) but terrible at maths, as he has dyscalcula (part of his dyspraxia I believe). School will put him, and others they can't be bothered with in to a max D paper. What's the point in that? :/
My A levels catered from A to E when I did them I think.

 

[Dozi]

To be this is really fucked up. Why do we not have one test that is easy to hard? You may say that #1 is not as clever as #2 and #3, but when we all do the same test #1 get much better results.
*shrug*

IANAE (i am not an examiner) but imagine this scenario:

Everyone sits the same exam, on one question a typical "C" student wastes quarter of their time on a question designed to pick the "A" students out. As a result of fumbling over a question they were never taught to deal with they only achieve a "D", there was no hope of that student getting an "A" in the first place - so why was that question put in front of them at all making a stressfull time even harder by giving them questions they cant hope to answer?

But you'll revise for the real thing, wont you, so youll get the A :touch:

 

[Cyfr]

They could put a mark on the question saying 'higher'