Hi, this may get some criticism, but I'm just interested.
If you would, please put the year (or near enough) that you took your GCSEs/O levels/CSEs/GCEs/chalk on slate, what school you went to (if not in Sheffield, please state the city) and what marks you got (this is the idea, so if you'd rather not - I completely understand) and whether you went on to further education at college/uni/apprenticeship etc.

Just interested to see how schools have improved/deteriorated in teaching over the years.

So here we go:

Took GCSE June 2004.

King Edward VII School

French A*
Science AA (double award)
English language B
Drama B
English literature C
Maths C
Geography C

Went on to study 3 A levels and a BTEC at college and am going to go to uni to study French.

Thanks, if you want to enter it please do, if not, I understand!

My dear... my education was soooooo long ago I can't even remember where the certificates ARE let alone the actual grades and subjects... what I do remember though ... was 9 O'levels or CSE equivs and a RSA in Typewriting!!

:D

Attended Stainsby School, Middlesbrough 1980's ahem ahem 'Yes folks I was a genuine Stainsby Girl ....if you've ever heard of Chris Rea!!!!'

:clap: :clap:

Thanks for replying Sheish! Hope people don't mind! I'd like to get an idea!

It's a shame cos I only did about 7 in the end I think, but I was in hospital for year 10 and 11 (better known to the oldies as 4th and 5th) so came back to do my GCSEs and obviously took the ones I thought were most important to concentrate on!

Sorry - don't know what got me started on that!
I'm knackered but I've had a bad evening and am too angry to go to bed!

Attended Friesland County Secondary Modern School, Sandiacre, Derbyshire. Left school in 1963.

{Note: Modern? The school was mainly a series of nissan-style pre-fab buildings!}.

My year was the first year that the school leavers undertook examinations. I sat and passed RSA English language, English literature and, amazingly, Mathemathics.

Interviewed for my first job, and asked what qualifications I had, I informed my prospective employer that I was awaiting the results of my RSA examinations.

Employer: "RSA. What's that then?".
Me: (proudly) "Royal Society of Arts"
Employer: "Oh we don't count painting exams - haven't you got any proper qualifications?".

I never told another employer about these 'qualifications'. Studied at night school for five years after that and obtained 5 x 'O' levels, 2 x 'A' levels. Later went to a polytechnic (remember them?) and completed a 2 year professional training course.......and passed!

I went to City School and left in 2003.

I got:

English Language: A
English Literature: A
French: A
ICT: A
RE: A
Graphic products: A
Maths: B
Food: B
GNVQ Science: Merit - equivalent to 4 x B at GCSE
Art: C
Geography: C

I then went on to Silverdale to get these grades at AS:

English Literature: B (6 marks off an A!!!!) :o
Sociology: B
English Language: C (5 marks off a B)

I did a retake for English Language in January and I now have a B in that subject!!!

In the summer I'm hoping for three B's. I need 2 B's and a C for university, but for my own peace of mind I want three B's lol!

I'm studying law at SHU in September :clap:

1977 9 O Levels, 3 'A's, 4 'B's and 2 'C's.
1979 4 A Levels, 2 'A's and 2 'B's

Yes, went to to get a BSc (Hons) degree in 1982 and then after a few years got my MBA in 1994.

Went to a comprehensive school in Nottinghamshire.

Joe

I took my GCSE's in either 99 or 00.

Tapton School

English Lit: C
IT: A
Science (canny rememba which one): C
Science (other one): D
Maths: D
RE: X (Didn't turn up)

I can't remember the rest but they were either X's or E'S etc.

--------------------------
(PLEASE NOTE)

If your a future employer I really got 5 C's.
:D

GCSE - Birley comp (1989)
Geography:A,
History:B,
Maths:B,
Physics:B
English Lit:C
English Lang:C
Visual Studies:C (photography, Art, and other stuff)
Chemistry:C


A Levels: Stradbrooke College (1991)
Maths: C
History :B
Geography:B

GCSE - Castle College (2002)
Psychology:A

Now: part way through an OU Degree

Originally posted by Lotti
Thanks for replying Sheish! Hope people don't mind! I'd like to get an idea!

It's a shame cos I only did about 7 in the end I think, but I was in hospital on and off for year 10 and 11 (better known to the oldies as 4th and 5th) so came back to do my GCSEs and obviously took the ones I thought were most important to concentrate on!


Wow! :wow: You did better than me - I was also in hospital for years 10 - 11 but in the end was only able to take 4 exams (Biology, Art, English and Psychology). I got A, A*, A and A* in those respectively. I then took my GCSEs in Maths and Chemistry at the end of my first year of A Levels, both A grades.

You mustn't think it was a shame you only got to take seven exams - I remember what an uphill struggle it was trying to catch up and take four, to have to study for nearly double that amount...well... you're a star! :D :clap:

I did Chemistry and Biology at A Level, both B grades. Maths AS Level I got a C. I went on to read for a MChem (Chemistry) at university in 2000, and graduated last year :)

I'm a year into my PhD now! *cheers* :P

Well my results seem very very bad compared to everyone elses now :(

Arthur Terry School - Birmingam - 1996
GCSE's
Maths C
Biology C
Physics C
Sociology C
English CC
Geography E
Music E
Electronics E
Technology U

Josiah Mason College - Birmingham

A levels
Biology B
Psychology D
General Studies E
Physics N



Its weird how I done better in A Level Biology than I did in GCSE Biology.

Im now in my second year at Sheffield Hallam

Just wanted to say WELL DONE! to Lotti and Tracie for getting brilliant results even though you were both in hospital in your last years of school!

I Did my GCSE's in 2000 at Wisewood secondary:

Eng lang--A
Eng lit-- A
RE-- A
French-- B
Food-- B
Science--C
Maths--C
Geography--C
Sociology--C
Art--C

AS LEVELS 2002- Loxley college;

Eng Lang--C
Eng Lit-- C

2003 Doncaster college;

NVQ Level 2 in Care

May 2003, Uni of Sheffield;

Currently half way through Advanced Diploma in Child Nursing.

When I qualify as a paediatric nurse Im thinking of doing another course to train as a mental health nurse!!!

I don't think we form a statistically significant group, so this doesn't allow us to draw any conclusions about trends in results over the years.

Took my GCSE's in 94
A* - Maths, Physics
A - Geography, Chemistry, Biology
B - English Lit, English Lan
C - French

A levels 96
A - Maths, Physics
B - General Studies
E - Further Maths, Chemistry

BSc Hons in CompSci & Business Admin

Hmmm, well I went to Durham Johnston Comp. Finished in err, 96 I think.

maths A*
science A*A*
Design Tech A*
German A
French A
Geography A
Art C
English CC

A levels Maths A Physics A Chemistry A and General Studies D

Did MEng Hons Mech Eng with German at Shef Uni

I went to a pretty high acheiving school, my mate got 10 A*'s. Tended to make exams more like a competition!

Bradfield School 1998-2003

English Literature: A
English Language: BB
Geography: C
History: A
Maths: B
Design and Technology: D
Science: BB
Spanish: D (bloody lucky to get that senor!)
ICT: CC

:thumbsup:

Also currently on two 'B's and a 'C' for my A-levels ;)

hmm I went to Boroughbridge high school in North yorks

GCSE (1999)

German A
Maths, RE, Geography B
Food, english Lit & Lang ,science (double) C

A levels (2001)

Maths
Economics
Sociology
General studies

BA Business & finance (2004)

Going to study MA international business and management in sep!

Is anyone putting these into a spreadsheet so we can analyse em statistically? :D Like cyclone says I'm not sure we're that good a x-section of society to really form any conclusions! Nice idea tho :)

Here goes...lets see if I can remember em all...

GCSEs:
English Lang - A
English Lit - A
Science - AA
Maths - A
French - A
RE - A
Technology - B
Business Studies - C
Latin - C
All at Edlington Comp in Doncaster in 1995

A Levels:
Biology - E
Maths - E
General studies - B
All at Balby Carr school in Doncaster in 1997

another GCSE
Archaeology - C
at Doncaster College in 1998

BA(hons) 2:1
Archaeology and Prehistory
at University of Sheffield in 2003

currently 3/4 way thru MA in Landscape Archaeology at Univ of Sheffield


there ya go :D

Originally posted by em3978

BA(hons) 2:1
Archaeology and Prehistory
at University of Sheffield in 2003


I think that means you started in 98? same year as me woohoo! :) Maybe we walked past each other in the union!

Wow, you are a clever bunch! I thought I did quite well at GCSEs and A-Levels, but then I did do them in Hull! Where something like 3% get 5 A-Cs at GCSE.

GCSE
====
Maths - B
English - C
English Lit - B
Science x 2 - B
History - B
Geography - C
German - D
French - C
Tech - C

A-Level
=====
Maths - D
Business Studies - A
Computing - C

I don't really get A-Levels I could have done 2 other soft subjects like Business Studies and probably got As or Bs and got myself a load more UCAS points, just silly!

At hallam now doing a degree, in final year and unless I fail my exams I should get a 2:1

Originally posted by tim_rutter
I think that means you started in 98? same year as me woohoo! :) Maybe we walked past each other in the union!
noo.... I started my degree in 2000.

Originally posted by em3978
noo.... I started my degree in 2000.

And now i realise I am being thick. Never mind, exams results are no indication of common sense!

Originally posted by tim_rutter
Is anyone putting these into a spreadsheet so we can analyse em statistically? :D Like cyclone says I'm not sure we're that good a x-section of society to really form any conclusions! Nice idea tho :)

It's not even the cross section that's the problem.
In an area where personal performance makes such a difference we'd need thousands of contributions in order to get averages and then compare them.

English:- B (Higher Tier - AQA)
French:- C (Higher Tier - AQA)
German:- C (Higher Tier - AQA)
ICT:- C (Higher Tier - OCR)
English Literature:- C (Higher Tier - AQA)

The remaining were either untiered or Foundation Tier:

Maths:- E (Foundation Tier - Edexcel)
History:- D (Untiered - Edexcel)
RE:- D (Untiered - WJEC)
Food Technology:- D (Foundation - AQA)
Science:- D (Foundation Tier - AQA).

I don't think it helped that a major event occurred between year one of the GCSEs and year two; but note that the lessons I were mainly interested in were the ones I took higher tiered examinations in.

A school in north Kent.

Alex :)

Currently at a college completing the first year of a BTEC ND in IT System Support, and Cisco CCNA course too.

i don't really think you can compare gcses with o levels cos the system is different isn't it? also, most people say getting an A is easier now - I just think my generation is cleverer, haha. well, maybe not, but i do think kids are prepared to pass exams now, and taught for exams better too.
anyway.. I took my GCSEs at Fortismere School in North London in 2000:

Design Technology - C
English Language - B
English Lit - A
French - B
Geography - A
History - A
Maths - B
Music - B
Science - BB

I took my AS Levels (first year of AS levels) at Fortismere Sixth Form in 2001:

English Lit: A
Geography: B
History: B
Philosophy: B

I took my A Levels in 2002:

Geography: B
History: B
Philosophy: C

i did mine at king teds n finished in 2003 and got:

english A
english lit A
french B
drama B
graphics B
art C
science C
maths C
history G#
RE B

thats what i can remember anyway damn it seems like so long ago but it really really wasnt :confused:

Thanks everyone for your input, Cyclone and Tim, you're right, it's not a very good group of people for statistics, was just wondering if it would work...

I can put them into a spread sheet/graph or something if you want, but you'll have to wait til I've got a bit more time after the 6th June (end of AS exams!!!!!!!!!!! then I get to start A2 - yippee :mad: )

Thanks to Sam for your message to Tracie and I, I wasn't fishing for compliments when I said it, I just suddenly thought that people were going to be putting down 10/11 and I had 7!!!

And by the way - a lot of you put me to shame! You got good grades!
I think another problem with the whole statistic thing is that people who didn't do very well, won't want to put it down, so we can't form a true conclusion, but when I have more time I'll put all the data together and see (mean average of results or something!)

Oh and here's something to make you smile! My friend said when she went to get her results she was sat on the bus on the way back home with a friend, when she heard this girl behind (admittedly from my school :blush: ) shout 'I can spell FUDGE with my results!'

:hihi:

cheers everyone, keep em coming, I'll have a good load to do then after exams! :D

GCSE's were such a joke. I did mine in 96, didn't bother revising for a single one and came out with 8 B's.

Just a little note I want to add; I got really good GCSEs but my A levels went more than a little pearshaped, a total of 4 points (if you don't count general studies), however I went on to work hard in my own time and got accepted at Sheff Uni for Archaeology (they usually want something like ABB at A level!!!) and went on to get a really decent degree and have never been out of work since. Good exam grades at GCSE and A level aren't the be-all and end-all like they try to tell you when you are taking them. Dont worry about your grades, how many you get etc, so long as you are determined, work hard and do your best all the way through you'll get what you want if you really want it.
Lesson over ;)

I did real exams so:

O-Levels!
English, Maths, History, Chemistry, Biology - all C
Design And Technology - B
Physics - A

A-Levels
Chemistry - B, Psychology - C, Maths - D

BSc Biochemistry - 2.1 (best degree you can get ;) )

MSc Computer Science (they don't grade them :o )

PhD Structural Molecular Biology

And the most important thing I have learned from all that? How ultimately worthless and meaningless paper qualifications are!

I did GCSEs in Lincolnshire in 2000 and got
English lit - A*
English lang - A*
Maths - A
Science - AA
Geography - A*
History - A
Food tech - A*
RE - A
IT - A
German - C

I did A levels in 2001 / 2002 and got
English lit - A
English lang - A
Geography - A
History - A
Sociology - A
Psychology - A

Went to Hallam and will graduate this year, probably with a 2:1.

Wow! well done Psyn! I wish I was that bright!

Not necessarily bright - just good at taking exams and writing what the examiner wants to read. I wish I really was bright i.e. creative, innovative and imaginative in my thinking. I was just good at remembering and regurgitating.

Originally posted by psyn
Not necessarily bright - just good at taking exams and writing what the examiner wants to read. I wish I really was bright i.e. creative, innovative and imaginative in my thinking. I was just good at remembering and regurgitating.

Stop being modest! remembering and regurgitating that amount of stuff requires a lot of brightness. And I'd imagine creativity, innovation and imagination came into it all too. :)

Oooooooh I feel really thick in comparison.

I took my 'O' levels at Myers Grove School in 1985

English Lit B
English Lang B
Art B
Maths C
History C
Geography C
Spanish C
Biology D

RE CSE4

I went to college to do A levels in Enlish Lang, English Lit and Sociolgy but left home at just 17 so dropped out.

Since I've got older I have passed ...

City and Guilds Certificate in Paywork
CLAIT Computer course
2 year womens access course in Social Studies
Basic Counselling skill course


I'm currently just at the end of doing a CACHE Level 2 Teaching Assistant course.

My life has taken too may twists and turns and has got in the way of studying to a further level. Money is also a huge problem as I am a single mum with 2 kids and need to work.

Well I thought I would out-clever everyone until I saw psyn's...

Eng Lit A*
Eng Lang A*
Art A*
History A*
RS A*
Science (dual award) AA
Graphic Design A
French A
Maths B
ICT B

Am about to do my A2s, am predicted A's for Sociology and RS and B for History

My AS results were

Sociology A
History B
RS B
Eng Lit B
General Studies B

I left Handsworth Grange School, Sheffield in 2000 and got;
Art: B
English Language: B
English Literature: B
French: B
Maths: B
Science (Double): B/B
Technology: B
GNVQ Manufacturing: Equivalent to Double C

All together thats 10 GCSE's A-C.

After that went to college and got a National Diploma and a HND in Graphic Design (completed last summer).

Originally posted by march
Wow, you are a clever bunch! I thought I did quite well at GCSEs and A-Levels, but then I did do them in Hull! Where something like 3% get 5 A-Cs at GCSE.

Also went to school in Hull, well East Riding technically, just outside Hull but i guess i'm part of the 3%!

GCSE's:

Maths A
Science AA
Sports Studies A
Spanish A
Geography A
Technology B
English C
Art C

A levels:

Biology B
Physical Education C
General Studies C
Spanish D

Degree (Leeds Met):

Half Physical Education with teaching
Half Physical Education with Sports Science/Nutrition 2:2

So from a generally sciencey sporty theme throughout my education, i took the natural progression into a job selling beer :thumbsup:

-PK-

Originally posted by GimmeSomePK
Also went to school in Hull, well East Riding technically, just outside Hull but i guess i'm part of the 3%!

GCSE's:

Maths A
Science AA
Sports Studies A
Spanish A
Geography A
Technology B
English C
Art C

A levels:

Biology B
Physical Education C
General Studies C
Spanish D

Degree (Leeds Met):

Half Physical Education with teaching
Half Physical Education with Sports Science/Nutrition 2:2

So from a generally sciencey sporty theme throughout my education, i took the natural progression into a job selling beer :thumbsup:

-PK-

I think East Riding has it's own stats which are a lot better! They give hull it's own so they don't drag down the rest. I wander if Hull's 3% is down having probably the highest concentration of Chavs in the UK

Originally posted by march
I wander if Hull's 3% is down having probably the highest concentration of Chavs in the UK

Is Bransholme still the biggest council estate in europe? Or whatever it's claim to fame was, although i expect every city sees it's own worst bits as worse than anyone elses worst bits. (If that makes sense?)

What school did you go to? I was at South Hunsley from 91-98.

-PK-

Originally posted by psyn
I did A levels in 2001 / 2002 and got
English lit - A
English lang - A
Geography - A
History - A
Sociology - A
Psychology - A

Went to Hallam and will graduate this year, probably with a 2:1.

:o

1) Are you allowed to do 6 A-levels?

2) Did you do all of those over a 2 year period

3) Are they AS or A2 grades?

4) With those grades how come you went to Hallam?

(bloody excellent results btw :thumbsup:

went to school in suffolk, and like someone said earlier about their school it was pretty high results all round so was like a competition most of the time!

gcses,
history, english lit, A*
double science, food, english lang, geography, A
maths, statistics. french, B
drama C

a levels
history, geography, general studies, A
english lit, B

now doing a history degree at sheff uni, but think all my motivation has gone so god knows what what mark i'll be coming out with!

Well, my school messed up and let me do subjects that didn't fit on the timetable so they said if I kept quiet I was allowed to not do the compulsory PE!

In the spare time I had (which was when there were no PE sessions, that's why I didn't do it) I did two extra GCSEs so I ended up with 12 :D

English Language A*
Geography A*

As for this lot:

English Literature
Biology
Chemistry
Physics (I did the separate sciences)
Maths
French
German
Drama

and Bs for:

Graphic Products
Religious Education

Unfortunately, whilst waiting tentatively that summer for my results, I disocvered alcohol. In the following months I discovered driving and got a car, and suddenly skiving college was far easier and far more exciting than skiving college was :D so my A-levels were (I think, I actually can't remember!):

English Language B
General Studies B
French C
Drama and Theatre Studies D
AS level Maths C

I went to a mixed comprehensive in Cheshire just south of Manchester and a very big state 6th form down the road.

Now at Hallam and just finishing my second year of a law degree :thumbsup:

See that's interesting! That's another thing I wanted to confirm, why pay for a private school when it looks like you get just as good results from a mixed comprehensive?

Lottie

Originally posted by IanMitchell
:o

1) Are you allowed to do 6 A-levels?

2) Did you do all of those over a 2 year period

3) Are they AS or A2 grades?

4) With those grades how come you went to Hallam?

(bloody excellent results btw :thumbsup:

You can do as many A Levels as will fit into a timetable. I did 4 of the subjects as 'normal' A Levels over 2 years. In my first year, I did English Lang as a 1 year night class and did the same with history in my second year. They are all A2 grades and I went to Hallam because teacher training is pretty much the same all over the country (although Hallam is highly rated).

Originally posted by Lotti
Wow! well done Psyn! I wish I was that bright!
funny, that's what we were wishing too :D

Well, my partner went to school in Retford, Nottinghamshire and got in 1999 1A, 3B's and 4C's.

2001
ALevel Business - D
Advanced GNVQ Health and Social Care - Distinction (Equivalent to A and a B)

Degree from SHU - 2004

And i went to school in the Orkney Islands and got
1A 6B's 1C, well equivalent to them at least, then came down to Retford, and got a couple of A levels, now doing my degree at SHU!

Our school (Ordsall Hall School), is now getting worse results as my partners brothers go there and overall their year groups are worse and worse.

While I like the idea of this study, none of its result will provide any results or conclusive data whatsoever. There are too many variables even to suggest a correlation. You have several independent variables such as:

Year
School
Grades
Subjects
Academic Ability (I'm not calling it intelligence because being able to jump through hoops is all exams are about, they are not about knowledge, nor even logic, something our supposed age of reason is based upon)
Drive to succeed (lets face it, many people couldn't be arsed to try. I know I never could, some people work incredibly hard for subjects though, for whatever reason)
Teachers

The list could go on, I find it hard to believe even generalisations can be determined from this because there will be no one instance where only one factor separates two of you participants.

Still having said that, I'll contribute because maybe someone way smarter than me will be able to find something quirky.

GCSEs = Wath Comprehensive School 2000

A - Maths, English Language, Spanish, French, Latin
B - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, R.S.
C - English Literature, Design Graphics, Young enterprise Business qualification
D - Information Systems

AS levels = Wath Comprehensive School 2001
A - Mathematics
C - Chemistry, Physics
D - General Studies

AS levels = Norton College 2004
A - Media Studies
C - Psychology
C - Information and Communication Technology


Other grades from Norton last year (2004)
OCN level 1 qualification in counseling
OCN level 3 qualification in governance

I'd be interested to see the difference between paid for and private education. I know that if i have the money I would pay for private education for my kids (if I end up with any), as long as they know their working class roots and don't 'go all posh' on me :)

Wilf

I went to Grey Court School in Ham, Richmond upon Thames.

In June 1984 I took O Level Maths. Got an A.

In Jan 1985 I took O Level Graphical Communications. Got a B.

In June 1985 I got:
English Language - A
Computer Studies - A
Physics - B (my teacher told me I ought to get an A, but I mucked about too much. She was right)
Chemistry - B
Maths (AO Level) - B
History - C
German - D
English Literature - D

The I went to Richmond upon Thames College.

In June 1986 I took O-Level Photography, got a B.

In June 1987 I took my A-Levels:
Economics - A
History - B
Pure & Applied Maths - C

Then I did BSc Psychology at Bristol University, got a 2:1 in 1991.

A couple of years later, I did A-Level Philosophy in evening classes, got a B.

And that's it. Though it feels like time I went back to school, I do miss formal education.