'A' level good results: good teaching or academically able pupils?

ladymarmalade

As a teacher (but only up to GCSE), I think it is a combination of the two. I think pupils who are truly gifted can do well with a terrible teacher. However, they must have determination and drive as they may end up doing a lot of the work themselves.

On the other hand, I think a weaker student can flourish if they have a particularly good teacher who is willing to put the effort in with them. Of course again the student themselves must be willing to put the effort in too!

I think the worst combination is a lazy student/student with a bad attitude combined with a bad teacher as neither one will do anything about the situation!

pollypenny

I'd say it's both : good, committed students and good teaching.

A good teacher will enthuse her pupils, encourage wider approaches to the subject, without losing focus on the syllabus, and, of course, endure that work is set and marked, so that the student is given feedback on progress.

One of the great pleasures of A-level teaching is to listen to the ideas of bright young people and see them develop.

For medicine in particular, Fbaby, you need to check whether your DDs school has developed links with a uni med school.

Hermia

claire16c wrote: »

That doesn't make sense - how can only doing 3 subjects reduce his choice of unis when 3 A levels is the standard amount?! And a Btec is one subject?!

Bear in mind that some private schools will push the bright pupils to do four A-levels. At my friend's school bright pupils were encouraged to do extra subjects. She even did an A-level alongside her GCSEs and then went on to do four more A-levels. It makes you wonder how state school pupils can compete as I cannot imagine many state schools can lay on extra A-levels for pupils.

Mojisola

Fieldsofgold wrote: »

Apparently research shows that the career of choice for those who don't get into medical school is accountancy rather than any health related field.

Person_one wrote: »

This is true, I was surprised as well when I found out, but then less surprised once I gave it some thought.

No other health profession offers the same social status and earning potential as medicine.

If their main reasons for being doctors was money and social status, I'm glad they got diverted to accountancy.

Person_one

Mojisola wrote: »

If their main reasons for being doctors was money and social status, I'm glad they got diverted to accountancy.

Telling, isn't it?

Of course, I'm sure that's not why an enthusiastic 14 year old wants to be a doctor, but it might be why a different health profession might end up being more suitable!

Buzzybee90

FBaby wrote: »

That's exactly what I am wondering! It's not so much about the teaching as the caliber of pupils (by that I mean academically able). My DD is so far predicted A*/A easily at all her GCSEs. If it is an indication that she is likely to get excellent results at her 'A' levels, I would much prefer she went to the local 6th form (not just the costs, some offer 100% scholarship, but because I think it fits her profile better).

However, I have heard about pupils doing extremely well at their GCSEs struggling and ending up with average grades for their 'A' levels, so not clear how that would be besides losing focus etc...

A lot of people get a high level of a*/a at GCSE but few people sustain that at a levels. I have a friend (who went on a scholarship to a private school) she got straight A*s in GCSE and top in everything for her AS and A Levels. She was rejected from 3 of her 5 choices for medicine so it's incredibly hard to get into, I feel her schooling hindered her. She had done a tonne of extra curricular medical stuff like volunteering, working etc etc as well as being an incredibly talented musician and one of the nicest girls you'll ever meet. She's still at a top uni but it was heart breaking to see someone so - well, perfect - be rejected without interview.

stardoman

claire16c wrote: »

That doesn't make sense - how can only doing 3 subjects reduce his choice of unis when 3 A levels is the standard amount?! And a Btec is one subject?!

At my school you needed a B to do the A level after. I think if you only got a C you'd struggle as C isn't exactly hard to get, but asking purely for As and A*s seems a bit tough.

Exactly, it doesn't make sense and when she tried to say this at the meeting we had I straight away picked up on it. But this is what she has said to my son on Friday lunchtime. She told him that the subject he wants to do at University is very competitive and so he needs to broaden his horizons so that he has a backup plan incase he doesn't get accepted.

He really wants to stay on at his school but we seem to have a battle getting him onto the A Levels. The subjects he wants to do he got A*s in during the mock exams. But at the start of the course he was predicted to get Bs and they are going off the predicted grades rather than the mocks or what he ends up with.

pollypenny

Hermia wrote: »

Bear in mind that some private schools will push the bright pupils to do four A-levels. At my friend's school bright pupils were encouraged to do extra subjects. She even did an A-level alongside her GCSEs and then went on to do four more A-levels. It makes you wonder how state school pupils can compete as I cannot imagine many state schools can lay on extra A-levels for pupils.

Quite a few. A good state school will encourage each pupil to take the best course for him or her, whether that be just two A-levels, three or four, for those that can cope with them

DS was lucky in that he was in the short period of AS being Advanced Supplementary. Good science pupils were encourage to take an Arts subject and vice versa. The aim was, of course, to keep a broad mind.

cats2012

Me and my sis went to a private school and I'd say we had slightly different stories:

Me = naturally academic. Sorry to sound big headed but it was true, I got straight As from day 1 and at least 3 of my teachers admitted they weren't really doing much for me! BUT the friends I had out of school, who'd gone non-private, were amazing but less academic and went off the rails slightly. So I think had I gone to senior with them it could honestly have gone either way - I'd either have still got my grades or literally gone to the other extreme.

My sis = naturally strong, but not top. She decided to pursue vetinary science and needed A/A*s like your daughter. She was super popular, had friends in and out of school very similar to her, so I always believe she would have got Bs and As, but I genuinely think the school gave her that push to A/A* and got her on to her degree :-)

Happy to chat through if you want any more info x

Hermia

pollypenny wrote: »

Quite a few. A good state school will encourage each pupil to take the best course for him or her, whether that be just two A-levels, three or four, for those that can cope with them

That's great. At my school there is no way they would have allowed a GCSE pupil go into an A-level class or juggle someone's timetable to allow them to do four A-levels. You just had to fit in with the existing way of doing things. Looking back I can really see how the brightest kids were let down by our school. There was nothing to stretch them at all.