A-Levels

[RetroDon]

A-Level results today, everyone is going on about the 97% pass rate and 23% of them "A" Grades... I remember doing A's 15 years ago, bloody hard work and only the cream got "A" grades, they were practically impossible for most mere mortals. From what I can see, and what I am told knowing a few teachers, there has been a combination of "dumbing down" of the examinations and (& this applies to primary school teaching methods too) they now teach pupils how to pass their exams, instead of teaching them a subject as they used to.
Can't see the point in having good A-levels myself if everyone else has them too, but convincing everybody to stay in full-time education until they are 22 and that anyone who is anyone MUST have a degree is surely a time-bomb. Some slippery politician was bleating on the radio today about how fantastic it is that nowaday one in three school leavers will go to university, whereas 25 years it was one in ten, and that they will make sure that the figures rise so that "people can fulfill their potential". Fulfill their potential to go broke before they even start more like, what is the point in skinting and slaving for a degree if every other person, every other contender for a job, has one?
Back in the day, people opted for university so they could study hard in order to fast-track into a good job where their skills and intelligence would appreciated and put to good use, the hardship they would endure whilst studying would pay off once they had that coveted degree, are they now suggesting there are now high-flying jobs for every third person? It is also highly convenient that, whilst everyone simply must go to uni the costs of doing so is higher than they have ever been. One only has to look at the banks to see the class of graduate that they require (and get)... old employees get pissed off with being treated like shit, gloryfied salespeople, so they leave, the banks require these "bright" graduates, who in reality are delighted that one day, after the organisation has convinced them they really are a benevolent, generous and honourable company (and believe me, these youngsters swallow it hook, line & sinker and know absolutely diddly-squat about real banking), they might become "managers"... yes the same kind of people who would (20 years ago) have got that job at 16 and worked their way up now get the same job after obtaining some cheapened qualification and still have to waste years brown-nosing their way to the middle branches of that holy "career tree", probably owing the wonderful banks thousand for the privelage!
Am I the only person who thinks the whole situation is preposterous?

[diplodocus]

it's been a joke for ages, I remember the jump from O level to A level was massive, so much more in depth. Then when my brothers did theirs, the questions were similar but the syllabus was cut by half!!
This was years ago so god knows how it is now.
degrees are already pretty worthless, you need to go on and do a Masters to gain any advantage (more debt) but are then stuck as there is nowhere further to go as a PhD is too specialised for most jobs and another three years is a problem cost wise.
I fear we are storing up a real time bomb for the next 5-10 years when no-one can afford to leave home or put any money back into the economy or get a decent job cos they spent 30k on a worthless degree

[Questa]

oh i love tomight - 18 year old girls getting their results i saw the local news where the girl was opening her results live and they zoomed in on the envelope....and her big tits! love it

[nachovx]

Any examination system giving 96.2% pass rate has no credibility. They forget to mention the syllabus has been cut in half and a lot of grading comes from term time work, where students copy essays off each other and from the internet. The only people who have faith in the system are the parents of multiple A grade students, but even the chickens in Sainsbury are Grade A !

They can use their non-qualifications to get into all the Non-Universities (the ones that were Polytechnics) and get a degree by virtue of the fact they attended for 3 years. Polytechnic-Universities are only there as businesses to generate more income from more students coming thru their doors - that's why they give degrees like confetti to Chinese, Mongolian and African students who will pay the fees ... have you ever heard of anyone failing a degree from one of these institutions (apart from those who drop out)?

[beutelwolf]

nachovx wrote:

> Any examination system giving 96.2% pass rate has no
> credibility. They forget to mention the syllabus has been cut...

There is indeed a gradual reduction-of-content, at least I noticed that for Maths A-levels. A year or two ago we had a little workshop telling us about Maths A-level content and recent changes. One recent change was to repackage the material of three modules into four, effectively reducing the content by a quarter from one year to the next.

> They can use their non-qualifications to get into all the
> Non-Universities (the ones that were Polytechnics) and get a
[...]
> - that's why they give degrees like confetti to Chinese,
> Mongolian and African students who will pay the fees ... have

Chinese students are typically doing well at university, as long as they have mastered English, which indeed can be a problem for them.
I have never encountered a student from Mongolia, and I have been at universities (first student, now lecturer) for the last 25 years.
My experience with African students is rather mixed; on average they are worse than the Brits, though female students from Africa tend to do fine. [Talking about Black Africa - North Africa is a different story.]

> you ever heard of anyone failing a degree from one of these
> institutions (apart from those who drop out)?

I'm sure there will be some (I'm not at a former Polytechnic), but dropping out (and transferring out) is indeed the most common form of failure, not just at ex-polytechnics. Universities also have their league tables and a high failure rate counts against an institution in those tables.

One thing one does want to avoid is people failing their final year, so that three years are wasted. Thus one has to make sure that the dimwits are sifted out at the end of year one - and preferably just before they have officially failed, i.e. persuade them to change subjects after they failed the first attempt rather than encourage them to repeat year one.

[The Last Word]

The consolation here is that vast numbers of organisations are more than aware of the declining standards in education (probably from experience) and are now focusing more on potential employees other attributes, be it past experience, transferable skills, voluntary work etc. Don't think that if you've not got the grade you won't make the grade seems to be the message, and a refreshing one it is too.

Personally, and I say this after visiting a High Street electrical retailers this morning, I'd be inclined to hire those capable of speaking in coherent sentences.

[colin]

gonna enjoy going out tonight, all those nubile lovelies out celebrating their results and going mad !!!