Highers

sweetme

I took higher biology at college at the age of 35 with no knowledge and got a 98% pass. I find if what you are learning is of interest to you it's certainly easier to do.

singlestep

19lottie82 wrote: »

Not true. I sat my highers 18 years ago too and did my SG's a year previously, inc general science. I sat the credit paper and got a "1" grade.

It seems a common Mis perception that the name "general" science refers to the grading system but it doesn't, it just means a general overview of all 3 sciences in one subject.

Was it? :-)

My school must have had a bee in their bonnet, then, because it's a misperception the school itself encouraged as this was how it was explained at the time. Clearing out my mum's loft a few weeks ago, I found my S2 Options booklet in which the Science departments had added that if pupils chose that option, they would be unable to achieve a higher result than a grade 3 or be eligible to choose one of the science subjects at Higher level in S5.

Mind you, I was the second year of Standard Grade. Maybe levels changed later on? Or maybe my school got away with doing their own thing.

I had a complete horror of maths and science at school; got a 2 for SG Chemistry and, in spite of genuine effort, a D at Higher to match my A in six other subjects.

For the unacademic kids/ones completely uninterested these days, I've noticed that many schools have been enouraging children to take Intermediate 1 (most often Biology) rather than Standard Grade over two years.

19lottie82

singlestep wrote: »

My school must have had a bee in their bonnet, then, because it's a misperception the school itself encouraged as this was how it was explained at the time. Clearing out my mum's loft a few weeks ago, I found my S2 Options booklet in which the Science departments had added that if pupils chose that option, they would be unable to achieve a higher result than a grade 3 or be eligible to choose one of the science subjects at Higher level in S5.

I think that's possible. It was up to a school if they put a pupil for the foundation/general or general/credit exams, so maybe your school just chose not to let pupils sit the latter, as they thought there was no point as they might fail. A lot of kids do / did take general science as they weren't academic, so they decided against the "harder" single sciences, but there were a fair few in my class (inc myself), who just took the general class, as they had no interest in science, and this path would enable them to concentrate on their other subjects.

Also, if I remember correctly, the norm was that if you didn't get a credit grade in a subject at SG, then you couldn't sit the higher BUT sometimes my school would let your "crash" a Higher, if they thought you could handle it enough to get a pass. I did this with Economics and Modern Studies, although this was just because my school only offered them at Higher level, not SG.

19lottie82

sweetme wrote: »

I took higher biology at college at the age of 35 with no knowledge and got a 98% pass. I find if what you are learning is of interest to you it's certainly easier to do.

Well done you, but I would have to say that you are most definitely the exception. A pass above 90% at Higher level is very rare, 98% is almost unheard of.

But yes, you are definitely right that if you have an interest in something and enjoy it, it will be easier to achieve a good grade!

OrkneyStar

singlestep wrote: »

Was it? :-)

My school must have had a bee in their bonnet, then, because it's a misperception the school itself encouraged as this was how it was explained at the time. Clearing out my mum's loft a few weeks ago, I found my S2 Options booklet in which the Science departments had added that if pupils chose that option, they would be unable to achieve a higher result than a grade 3 or be eligible to choose one of the science subjects at Higher level in S5.

Mind you, I was the second year of Standard Grade. Maybe levels changed later on? Or maybe my school got away with doing their own thing.

I had a complete horror of maths and science at school; got a 2 for SG Chemistry and, in spite of genuine effort, a D at Higher to match my A in six other subjects.

For the unacademic kids/ones completely uninterested these days, I've noticed that many schools have been enouraging children to take Intermediate 1 (most often Biology) rather than Standard Grade over two years.

Similar at our school. General science was almost frowned upon and really was discouraged, a lot of less able/less enthusiastic folk did biology as their only s grade, as they didn't want to be thought not intelligent enough to to at least one science! I vaguely remember them telling us credit science did 'exist' but we didn't do it at our school as anyone capable of credit would be doing the stand alone science subjects. This was possibly not the norm of course, our school wasn't a particularly high achieving one or anything, normal non-denominational secondary school.

Bailey101

19lottie82 wrote: »

Not true. I sat my highers 18 years ago too and did my SG's a year previously, inc general science. I sat the credit paper and got a "1" grade.

It seems a common Mis perception that the name "general" science refers to the grading system but it doesn't, it just means a general overview of all 3 sciences in one subject.

I haven't misperceived anything - I'm well aware that general science means a broad overview of all the sciences. However it was common for a lot of schools to only offer it up a general level and if your school was well enoughed staffed/funded to offer it at all levels then that's great, but unfortunately by the time I sat SGs it was not the norm.