The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
In a few years, the A Level pass rate will be 100%. Universities will have to trawl through thousands of University-length essays in order to discern which students should be accepted, because a grade of all As just isn't good enough to guarantee a place anymore. Despite this, students and teachers all say that the bad press A Levels get is demoralising to the people working so hard to get the good grades...can't they just admit that it's getting easier? Modules mean that one bad day for a test won't wreck your grade, which is something I definitely agree with; but spouting this fact every single time doesn't change the figures we hear every August. A pass in A Levels is a grade from A to E. How can an E grade be considered a success? Everybody says that dismissing sets of grades like four As is an insult to students, but that simply isn't true. It's not the students' fault, they can only pass what they are sitting. But when you can get the perfect, maximum score and still have to jump through another hoop to get your desired University placement something is wrong with the system. Chris Woodhead mixes his stance on education with his stance on politics, but his ideas seem to be the ones that a lot of the public would like to see implemented. Indeed, perhaps the best suggestion is to simply go back to the old GCE and O Level system that worked just fine for the last generation.
And then there's University itself. I listened to a good program on the radio last night where the subject of learning for the sake of learning came up a lot. University is clearly an incredible experience that millions find improves their life - people walk out after a degree as a different person. But this option is becoming less viable every year, as more obstacles are put in the way of potential graduates. My year will be the first to get the new tuition fees. The sliding scale system basically makes it pointless to get a degree, because any improved wages you might earn are simply skimmed to pay for the degree itself. As the years of quota-filling catches up with the country, we will end up with over half of people going to University, but nobody able to screw in a lightbulb or fix a tap. Nowadays it is easier to walk into a highly paid job after a vocational course in plumbing than it is to get any sort of job with a good degree. People are coming out with these qualifications but without basic skills, such as the ability to fill out an application form. So what's the point of getting a degree anymore, when it is becoming devalued and even unhelpful?
I'm getting very worried about my 'grand plan' of getting to University, finishing with good results and getting a job I enjoy. And to make matters worse, I might be expected to write several thousand words of an essay to submit in my application, along with three years' worth of work. Perhaps I should go into mechanics.
And then there's University itself. I listened to a good program on the radio last night where the subject of learning for the sake of learning came up a lot. University is clearly an incredible experience that millions find improves their life - people walk out after a degree as a different person. But this option is becoming less viable every year, as more obstacles are put in the way of potential graduates. My year will be the first to get the new tuition fees. The sliding scale system basically makes it pointless to get a degree, because any improved wages you might earn are simply skimmed to pay for the degree itself. As the years of quota-filling catches up with the country, we will end up with over half of people going to University, but nobody able to screw in a lightbulb or fix a tap. Nowadays it is easier to walk into a highly paid job after a vocational course in plumbing than it is to get any sort of job with a good degree. People are coming out with these qualifications but without basic skills, such as the ability to fill out an application form. So what's the point of getting a degree anymore, when it is becoming devalued and even unhelpful?
I'm getting very worried about my 'grand plan' of getting to University, finishing with good results and getting a job I enjoy. And to make matters worse, I might be expected to write several thousand words of an essay to submit in my application, along with three years' worth of work. Perhaps I should go into mechanics.
Page:
In a few years, the A Level pass rate will be 100%. Universities will have to trawl through thousands of University-length essays in order to discern which students should be accepted, because a grade of all As just isn't good enough to guarantee a place anymore. Despite this, students and teachers all say that the bad press A Levels get is demoralising to the people working so hard to get the good grades...can't they just admit that it's getting easier? Modules mean that one bad day for a test won't wreck your grade, which is something I definitely agree with; but spouting this fact every single time doesn't change the figures we hear every August. A pass in A Levels is a grade from A to E. How can an E grade be considered a success? Everybody says that dismissing sets of grades like four As is an insult to students, but that simply isn't true. It's not the students' fault, they can only pass what they are sitting. But when you can get the perfect, maximum score and still have to jump through another hoop to get your desired University placement something is wrong with the system. Chris Woodhead mixes his stance on education with his stance on politics, but his ideas seem to be the ones that a lot of the public would like to see implemented. Indeed, perhaps the best suggestion is to simply go back to the old GCE and O Level system that worked just fine for the last generation.
And then there's University itself. I listened to a good program on the radio last night where the subject of learning for the sake of learning came up a lot. University is clearly an incredible experience that millions find improves their life - people walk out after a degree as a different person. But this option is becoming less viable every year, as more obstacles are put in the way of potential graduates. My year will be the first to get the new tuition fees. The sliding scale system basically makes it pointless to get a degree, because any improved wages you might earn are simply skimmed to pay for the degree itself. As the years of quota-filling catches up with the country, we will end up with over half of people going to University, but nobody able to screw in a lightbulb or fix a tap. Nowadays it is easier to walk into a highly paid job after a vocational course in plumbing than it is to get any sort of job with a good degree. People are coming out with these qualifications but without basic skills, such as the ability to fill out an application form. So what's the point of getting a degree anymore, when it is becoming devalued and even unhelpful?
I'm getting very worried about my 'grand plan' of getting to University, finishing with good results and getting a job I enjoy. And to make matters worse, I might be expected to write several thousand words of an essay to submit in my application, along with three years' worth of work. Perhaps I should go into mechanics.
And then there's University itself. I listened to a good program on the radio last night where the subject of learning for the sake of learning came up a lot. University is clearly an incredible experience that millions find improves their life - people walk out after a degree as a different person. But this option is becoming less viable every year, as more obstacles are put in the way of potential graduates. My year will be the first to get the new tuition fees. The sliding scale system basically makes it pointless to get a degree, because any improved wages you might earn are simply skimmed to pay for the degree itself. As the years of quota-filling catches up with the country, we will end up with over half of people going to University, but nobody able to screw in a lightbulb or fix a tap. Nowadays it is easier to walk into a highly paid job after a vocational course in plumbing than it is to get any sort of job with a good degree. People are coming out with these qualifications but without basic skills, such as the ability to fill out an application form. So what's the point of getting a degree anymore, when it is becoming devalued and even unhelpful?
I'm getting very worried about my 'grand plan' of getting to University, finishing with good results and getting a job I enjoy. And to make matters worse, I might be expected to write several thousand words of an essay to submit in my application, along with three years' worth of work. Perhaps I should go into mechanics.
I do try to defend the A Levels but then i remember i spent about 85% of my time in school either on the computers we had in the common room beating all comers at Half Life or in the sports hall playing basketball and i still got B's and C's in my exams so either i got extremely lucky, just very good under pressure in the test situation or exams are getting easier
The majority of the kids though do work hard to get their results and it is unfair on them to just dismiss their achievements. But then we are a country that likes to criticise and build up people only to smash them back down.
The majority of the kids though do work hard to get their results and it is unfair on them to just dismiss their achievements. But then we are a country that likes to criticise and build up people only to smash them back down.
The goveernment though are trying to push this appreticeship(sp) thing forward though 4 of my firends are doing appreticeships. Again though i feel sorry for the elite as they can get put second best to the people just below them in grades, i belive there should be a 3 strands to every grade. A higher A middle A and lower A, then you could have only 2% get the higher A. This would make oxford and cambridge be able to pick a lot easier. Even though A levels are statistically no indication of what grade degree you might get.
A lot of my mates who are clever didn't get any As at all.
Only 69% actually achieved between A and C though.
I went to Edge Hill uni open day yesterday to the journalism seminar and was told that getting the grades wasnt enough to get you a place at university at all. They have 50 places on the course and around 500 applications and so rely strongly on other things besides grades. I talked to the bloke afterwards and he says that if people havent had the initiative to sort out relevent work experience before they apply they will not even be considered for the course - though this was never referred to in the prospectus, application form or speech he made. Also a spelling or grammar error in the personal statement of the UCAS application pretty much voids your chances of getting a place on a course.
If I was going to be going to university when the topup fees applied, I probably wouldnt go because I beleive it detrements a high paying career that you earn after you've studied hard for 16 years. I think the topup fees, coupled with the apprentiship scheme the government is pushing, will result in more people getting a "trade" behind them and stop the trade shortages we've had in recent years.
What degree would you be considering at university?
If its Media (what career will Film Studies get you!?), History or a foreign language then dont even bother. They dont open up career paths, and nine times out of ten you will walk into a job you could have got after completing your GCSE's, only with £10,000 of debts shadowing over you.
Basically with these topup fees being put in place, you have to be sure you want to follow a certain career path and that the degree is required for you to suceed this. If you want to get into medicine, professional writing, computing or social sciences (criminology/psychology/sociology) then university is probably the only way forward for you - and all of them link to careers. Media doesnt - not every media post-grad is going to be a psuedo-Tarrantino just because they wrote a good dissertation about the relevence of Fight Club's reflection on the social attitude to men in the 21st century.
I've babbled quite a bit here actually, I knew I should've written "Just be a mechanic"
If I was going to be going to university when the topup fees applied, I probably wouldnt go because I beleive it detrements a high paying career that you earn after you've studied hard for 16 years. I think the topup fees, coupled with the apprentiship scheme the government is pushing, will result in more people getting a "trade" behind them and stop the trade shortages we've had in recent years.
What degree would you be considering at university?
If its Media (what career will Film Studies get you!?), History or a foreign language then dont even bother. They dont open up career paths, and nine times out of ten you will walk into a job you could have got after completing your GCSE's, only with £10,000 of debts shadowing over you.
Basically with these topup fees being put in place, you have to be sure you want to follow a certain career path and that the degree is required for you to suceed this. If you want to get into medicine, professional writing, computing or social sciences (criminology/psychology/sociology) then university is probably the only way forward for you - and all of them link to careers. Media doesnt - not every media post-grad is going to be a psuedo-Tarrantino just because they wrote a good dissertation about the relevence of Fight Club's reflection on the social attitude to men in the 21st century.
I've babbled quite a bit here actually, I knew I should've written "Just be a mechanic"
Does that mean in one subject?
Because 69% acheiving only one or more A-C level isn't that great.
Because 69% acheiving only one or more A-C level isn't that great.
The 96% figure is misleading too, it just means that 96% achieved at least 1 E or better. The figure for people with 2 or more passes at A-C is something like 35%. A lot less impressive, I think you'll agree.
SHEEPY wrote:
> Does that mean in one subject?
>
> Because 69% acheiving only one or more A-C level isn't that
> great.
edit: actually, no.
"69% of all results are A to C grades"
> Does that mean in one subject?
>
> Because 69% acheiving only one or more A-C level isn't that
> great.
edit: actually, no.
"69% of all results are A to C grades"
Foszy wrote:
> This would make oxford and
> cambridge be able to pick a lot easier.
It annoys me that Britain's two 'greatest' institutions take more foreigners than British people. In fact it is quite sickening, that only the rich should be offered the best education. Shouldnt the best further education be offered to those who have proved themselves as intellectuals - not those who's dear mothers and fathers have bulging bank accounts.
This is an archaic tradition that is still held by the supposedly smartest people around. Contradictory, no?
> This would make oxford and
> cambridge be able to pick a lot easier.
It annoys me that Britain's two 'greatest' institutions take more foreigners than British people. In fact it is quite sickening, that only the rich should be offered the best education. Shouldnt the best further education be offered to those who have proved themselves as intellectuals - not those who's dear mothers and fathers have bulging bank accounts.
This is an archaic tradition that is still held by the supposedly smartest people around. Contradictory, no?
Page: