I was just wondering on your thoughts about the AS/A2 system as opposed to the old GCE A-level thing pre-2000?

The AS course is awful - you're basically fed knowledge and the exam requires only regurgitation of the knowledge, leaving room for very little personal interpretation or assessment, and to quote A. N. Other, "a student at AS said that although it showed through in her class work, the exam structure didn't allow her to show her passion for the subject".

A2 is a little better, with more marks for evaluation in some subjects, but still...

It also means that there's barely enough time to settle into a course, and you take about 15 exams at the end of the first year, and about the same in the following year (a lot of people resit some modules), and also exams in both Januarys.

i would have slatted the AS/2 before i sat it, but now i like it.it means i know walking in to my final exams i have some marks already gained and i can get away with a lower mark (as its done on average mark). the one thing i dont like is the volue of exams though i have had 13 exams in 2 wks and i still have another 7 left by the end of next week. most pubils seem stressed out by the whole thing - i know i am. i havent time to relax between exams as i have 2hours between exams and then i get home and have to revise for the exams the next day - its crazy noone can be on top form when revisin exhausted and then working again the next day.

Ahh well its nearly all over. soon to be free from skool - and instead at uni (If i get the grades)

So keep the system ditch a few exams

DAVE

The year I was in at school was the first to have this new AS/A2 system and, moving from one school to another, had to deal with settling in and coping with exams almost immediately.

I started in September and had four exams in the January, which, if I passed satisfactorily, would mean less exams in the June.

But the timescale was a bit too short for my liking. No sooner had we been given the info, were we writing it down in an exam paper, so it was hard to let your passion show through.

A2 level wasn't as bad, as (this will be course/school dependent) I had coursework instead of one of the exams in each subject, so the passion was allowed to flow more in the coursework.

There's no ideal solution though, different methods suit different people, there will be those who like the new system and those who preferred the old one. I thought it was ok as when I dropped one subject after the first year, I at least got an AS level qualification for it, whereas under the previous scheme you would leave with nothing.

I was just wondering on your thoughts about the AS/A2 system as opposed to the old GCE A-level thing pre-2000?

I'll give you an answer in August ;)

Originally posted by RPG
I'll give you an answer in August ;)

LOL ditto here

I don't think that the AS/A2 system is that bad really.....

I got a B and two C's, which is about what I expected (and a D for the AS i dropped).

I was in 6th form when they still had the old A levels, and I hated them. They were, IMO very difficult to get your head round, and I ended up dropping out after a year and instead going to college for 6 years and having a great time!!
I've done a BTEC, HND and have now just finished my degree, and have to say I much prefer this way of working through the education system. A Levels stink in my opinion!!! :)

Originally posted by LittleWitch
A Levels stink in my opinion!!! :)
Mine too,i hated A levels and got terrible grades,yet i managed to get a 2:1 at Hull uni,it just goes to show that they don't always reflect a person's ability.

i didn't know anything about the new a levels. you really have that many exams. that sounds quite silly! Agree with above posts, i think the a level system is (or at least was) very limited and doesn't show everyones true potential.

Originally posted by sarah_d
Mine too,i hated A levels and got terrible grades,yet i managed to get a 2:1 at Hull uni,it just goes to show that they don't always reflect a person's ability.

But they do reflect a persons ability, just because you got a 2.1 at Hull wouldn't mean you would get a 2.1 say at a Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol or Sheffield, etc. The true red brick Universities. This is because these Universities are more difficult to obtain higher grades from than polytechnics. That isn't to mean if you went to an old polytechnic that you are any less employable, as that would be untrue.

I went through the old A-Level System and actually found it to be a good system. I was on the modular scheme. It was also good that I was able to resit the exams if I didn't get the grade I wanted.. (Yes I was one of those sad people, who re-sat exams because they got a B and not an A, but thats because I set a high level of achievement for myself)

It does seem to me that there are far too many exams in the new system, and people would just be better of specialising from the start.

Quoted post taken from here http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&postid=130173#post130173post130173


from t020Does it upset me that a bunch of goody 2 shoes forum users take a disliking to my honest style of posting?

Honest? I think you may have to look up the definition in the dictionary of that word. I would have said it was vindictive, antagonistic and attention seeking.

from t020No, I can't say it does. You're constantly reminding everyone about how "red bricks" are for the more able (e.g. yesterday you kindly pointed out to a user that she'd never have got a 2.1 at a "proper" uni - and I won't even go into the lack of conjunctions used in your split clause sentences...),

IMO the word 'constantly' requires a repetition of perhaps more than 4 times, would you like to show me where I have done that?

Where did I point out to the user that she would never of got a 2.1 at a proper University? How would I know that for sure, and why would I want to attack somebody I don't know like that? Besides the fact its cruel (Oh I forgot you get off on that) I just tried to explain that degrees from different universities are of a varing standard and it is a well known fact that smaller insitututions requiring a lower grade entry, have lower examination standards than other universities that require a higher grade, and that you can't make a statement saying a-levels aren't a good indication of a persons ability as this is what universities take into account in admissions. In 'hindsight' perhaps I shouldn't have used the word polytechnic.


from t020and how you yourself attended one.

Nope don't think I mentioned that anywhere in the post, don't make assumptions about these things when you know nothing about a persons background.

from t020Yet despite this, you're still unable to adhere to basic grammatical principles. Nevermind whether or not your degree covered it, GCSE English Language should have. You sounded like you needed bringing down a peg or two to me.

Oh dear back on to English Language again. Change the record please. People can understand what I write. Besides the fact you know nothing of my previous education or background.

Oh and the only person I can see that needs bringing down a peg or too is you.

I will wait in anticipation for your next post , telling me what grammatical errors I have made this time

Sorry MODS, had to stick up for myself and reply to him

Oh and next time you have a problem with me I told you to PM. Oops now I remember, that way doesn't involve getting noticed and seeking attention from other forum users.

Originally posted by Skatiechik
Oh and next time you have a problem with me I told you to PM. Oops now I remember, that way doesn't involve getting noticed and seeking attention from other forum users.

Why didnt you PM him with that then? Seems slightly hypocritical, as you could have sent it to the mods as well. I understand that T020 has been suspended before, but you are certainly milking and provoking the situation and if he/she does get suspended again, I think you should too.

On the topic of re-sits though, a guy from my year repeated his last year of sixth form because he needed three A's and only got ABB.

Hull is actually a decent university, they let me in because i had an interview with them and they realised that my A levels didn't reflect my true ability.I know this isn't always the case and there are a lot of mickey mouse courses out there but i don't feel that i was enrolled on one.Sorry,i know this is slightly off topic,i just don't feel that A levels should be the be all and end all of a person's academic career.The government also realised there was a problem and changed the system to AS and A2 levels which in my opinion i don't believe is an improvement,there are also talks now of changing to the European Baccalaureate system.One day they might get it right.

Exams don't necessarily reflect a person's true ability full stop. Some people are better at coursework as there's less pressure and others are just better at the practical side of whatever they are learning.

But we have to measure attainment some way and exams are the largely chosen method.

You can't beat two years of learning with exams at the end to determine whether some one has learnt anything or not.

The new A Level system has meerly been created by New Labour to ensure that exam grade rise. Keep massaging the figures Tony, to populus can see through it now.

Best of luck in your exams by the way

Hmm a tough one really... I'm not sure whether its a good thing or not, this new system...
Having just sat my AS's, I feel fairly confident that I have worked to the best of my potential, however I don't feel as certain as I did for my GCSE's...
Anyways, time will tell :)

Originally posted by caprice
Hmm a tough one really... I'm not sure whether its a good thing or not, this new system...
Having just sat my AS's, I feel fairly confident that I have worked to the best of my potential, however I don't feel as certain as I did for my GCSE's...
Anyways, time will tell :)

I couldn't have put it better myself, seeing as we're both in the same situation....apart from maybe adding

ARRGH FAILURE!

I couldn't have put it better myself, seeing as we're both in the same situation....apart from maybe adding

Lol you won't fail... Judging by the way you can reel off Bourdieu's theories for sociology, you should be fine... Unless you had your text book next to you as you typed the post lol!

Ah no....:D not that silly.

Sorry for dragging up an old thread, just read it and thought i would add my own opinion.

My school year was the first year to have the new AS/A2 system and if anything it was the reason why I am now trying o get my A-levels for the third time.

Traditionally (especially with the old A-level system) the change in workload from GCSE to A-Level is such a big shock that most students don't do very well in the first year, as they believe they can do exactly the same thing as their GCSEs and still get the same grades as they are used to.

Under the new system as AS levels tend to be easier and this means that Students don't get the realisation that they cannot just muddle through with no effort and still pass, this is what happened to me in the beginning of my A2 levels.

At least under the old system I would have messed up my first year (which didn't matter as I would not have any 'proper' exams) and sorted myself out to complete my A-Levels with no fuss like this time.

The reason I am finding AS/A2 OK this time is that I already know how hard A2 is and so getting into the habit of studying is less hard for me (still hard, I'm a lazy sod, always have been).

If anything, I'm sick of taking so many exams, I would rather have one and then it is all done.

Wilf