Nice People 13: Nice Save

SingleSue

hjd wrote: »

I only did Physics. Never did Biology and only did Chemistry for a little while. I have 6 O levels, 3 of which are English (English Lit, English Lang, Use of English). Very helpful.
I wanted to do Pure Maths, Economics and English Lit for my A levels but school wouldn't let me. I had to drop English and do Applied Maths instead, which isn't the easiest subject when you aren't also studying Physics.

I did biology/chemistry.....I needed to do biology and would have loved to do physics as I was quite good at it (top of my year in 3rd year) but unfortunately, they only did biology/chemistry or chemistry/physics....not biology/physics.

I have a chemistry O level and know absolutely nothing about it, I just struck lucky with a revision book whilst waiting outside the exam room combined with a photographic memory.

I also have a French O level, in my teens I was pretty fluent pretty much because my primary school started teaching us when we were 6.

SingleSue

michaels wrote: »

In my day I chose geography (o'level) rather than history because the former had more short answers, multiple choice and graphs whereas the latter was all long essays...of course it has probably changed by now.

Youngest chose both geography and history......from memory, there was slightly more writing to geography (and drawing) than you experienced but history was just the same. Lots and lots and lots of essays.

Masomnia

I did dual award science as well, I'm sure some people did single sciences, but I'm not sure it was an option; I think you had to be invited.

Did Biology A level which I quite enjoyed. And Chemistry A level, which is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Far harder than my Masters. I liked it though, wish I'd worked harder

Sad to hear they wouldn't let your son do cookery, Sue. I really wish I'd done it. We were forced to choose a 'technology' (it was an experiment with our year). Graphic design was totally out of the question, textiles even more so. So it was between 'food technology' and 'resistant materials' (woodwork!). I chose the latter, and it was the only subject I got less than an 'A' in and I'm still bitter. It was good fun though, and as my teacher said 'Well, if nothing else we've had a laugh the past two years' He was a great teacher though, he couldn't do enough for the ones who really wanted to learn, got them all A*s; those who weren't bothered he didn't bother with, so some people failed. The school didn't like that, as they would rather everyone get a C for the league tables than the hard working get A*s and the dossers fail. So he was 'asked to leave' shortly after, which is a great shame.

PasturesNew

Nikkster wrote: »

Possibly the highlight of my school days was the most beautiful boy from the Boy's School (I went to the Girl's School) congratulating me in the pub on 'A' Level results day because I'd got more UCAS points than him (he was as clever as he was beautiful). I couldn't believe he even knew who I was

Have you poked him on Facebook? Stalked him online? Checked his linkedin profile?
If not .... you're wasting your procrastinating time.


Maybe he got fat and married.

SingleSue

LydiaJ wrote: »

For O-level we had to do Eng lang & lit, maths & French, and then we could choose 4, 5 or 6 others. I did phys, chem, Latin, Greek, geog & art.

For A-level I wanted to do maths, phys & chem, and the school wanted me to do double maths & phys. I stood my ground and said I was quite happy to do double maths if they'd let me do 4 (which wasn't common back in the mid-80s) but otherwise I was sticking to the maths, phys, chem combo. In the end they made an exception to their usual rule and let me do the 4, and a few weeks into the first term of 6th form another girl who was doing maths, phys, chem & O-level computing wanted to give up the computing and so switched to join me in double maths.

(School were completely right, BTW. Before the end of the first year, chem had v much become my 4th subject, and not doing double maths would have been a big disadvantage. We had to do 3 papers for the 4th term Oxbridge entrance exam, and I don't know that I'd have got in if I'd had to include a chem one.)

We had to do English lit and language, maths and I think science was made a core subject for our lot (if you didn't pick the combination science).

I picked biology/chemistry, French, office practice and food and nutrition.

Office practice was my back up qualification just in case I didn't get into nursing school...that back up worked beautifully as it is what got me my first office job that led to my career in shipping.

I failed food and nutrition but then so did everyone else in the class as the teacher forgot to teach us the technical/theory stuff! We all passed the practical and all bar one failed the theory.....a chemistry A student and the only male in the class.

Yorkie1

michaels wrote: »

In my day I chose geography (o'level) rather than history because the former had more short answers, multiple choice and graphs whereas the latter was all long essays...of course it has probably changed by now.

I had to do ELang, ELit, Maths, French plus Biology, History, Geography and German.

Geography A Level was an exam in colouring in, I like to say

Masomnia wrote: »

... there was pretty much nothing I could do, felt quite bad. I did a few hours of mandatory training though...

Sounds as though you a) used your initiative, and b) did do some useful stuff. Means it's out of the way and they can focus on other stuff when they're back in the office.

Glad it's otherwise going OK, by the sound of it.

CKhalvashi

English Language/Lit, Maths and individual Science, French, Spanish (2 year course, not 5), Russian (not studied formally), Latin, Art, History and Electronics were mine.

If I recall, I finished with 4x 'A', 5x 'B', 3x 'C', and a 'D'

Need to find my way into E1W this morning.....fun!

purch

LydiaJ wrote: »

For O-level we had to do Eng lang & lit, maths & French, and then we could choose 4, 5 or 6 others. I did phys, chem, Latin, Greek, geog & art.

For A-level I wanted to do maths, phys & chem, and the school wanted me to do double maths & phys. I stood my ground and said I was quite happy to do double maths if they'd let me do 4 (which wasn't common back in the mid-80s) but otherwise I was sticking to the maths, phys, chem combo. In the end they made an exception to their usual rule and let me do the 4, and a few weeks into the first term of 6th form another girl who was doing maths, phys, chem & O-level computing wanted to give up the computing and so switched to join me in double maths.

(School were completely right, BTW. Before the end of the first year, chem had v much become my 4th subject, and not doing double maths would have been a big disadvantage. We had to do 3 papers for the 4th term Oxbridge entrance exam, and I don't know that I'd have got in if I'd had to include a chem one.)

My school was very anti anyone doing even 3 A Levels (1977/8) I think only a few of us did. I did Maths, Geography and Economics (O & A Levels in 6th Form)

It must have been quite normal to do only 2, as I remember some of my University offers were for just 2 grades.

Can't remember what we "had" to do for O Levels, but I did Math, Eng Lang, Eng Lit, French, Biology, Physics, Geography, History, Art and R.E. .............. I had to resit Biology cos I got a D first time round.

tom9980

A lot of these stories go to show politics and education don't mix well at all. Pressuring children to do a subject or stream pupils to do certain subjects to manipulate a largely meaningless league table is wrong and it does a lot of damage.

In recent days the rhetoric from politicians have been hitting the news, no more cuts to the budget they say but we won't increase it by inflation (so a cut then?) this despite the previous rounds of cuts still being rolled out, my wife's school lose more from next years budget.

LydiaJ

tom9980 wrote: »

A lot of these stories go to show politics and education don't mix well at all. Pressuring children to do a subject or stream pupils to do certain subjects to manipulate a largely meaningless league table is wrong and it does a lot of damage.

In recent days the rhetoric from politicians have been hitting the news, no more cuts to the budget they say but we won't increase it by inflation (so a cut then?) this despite the previous rounds of cuts still being rolled out, my wife's school lose more from next years budget.

Agree about increasing by inflation being necessary not to be a cut in real terms. Also, they need to increase in proportion to the school age population (which is rising), otherwise it's an effective cut in a different way.

I think the same about NHS spending. They need to give figures on NHS spending per head of UK population, so they can't claim they're giving the NHS more money when the money's gone up by a smaller % than the number of people it needs to serve.