A levels devalued

fewcloudy

michaels wrote: »

Of course this may be down to better teaching and application rather than easier exams.

This is a factor, along with a lot more emphasis in recent years on HOW to pass exams.
Those of us with older teenagers, or who have grand children, and have watched as their children go through the same struggles/revision/stress as we did 30-40 years ago would probably dispute that it's as simple as 'oh all exams are easier now/everything's devalued/what's the point"

LHW99

I can't really understand why it is OK to spend time and effort supporting those who may become elite sports-men / -women / musicians (no way belittling their achievements) yet to spend the same amount of time / effort (and money?) supporting those who may become elite mathematicians, historians, scientists is regarded as unfair selection, "narrow education", "hot-housing" etc.

Cakeguts

LHW99 wrote: »

I can't really understand why it is OK to spend time and effort supporting those who may become elite sports-men / -women / musicians (no way belittling their achievements) yet to spend the same amount of time / effort (and money?) supporting those who may become elite mathematicians, historians, scientists is regarded as unfair selection, "narrow education", "hot-housing" etc.

I can't understand this either which is why I don't understand why state schools don't offer Pre U and IB as an alternative to A levels. Pre U is much harder than A levels of today and is nearer to the old A levels that you did after O levels. It also has higher grade awards so would suit the more academic students. I don't see why they can't have this choice. If a more academic course and exam would suit the more intelligent students why wouldn't they be offered the chance to do the course? Why does everything have to sink to the mediocre and not chase excellence at everything?

LHW99

I can't understand this either which is why I don't understand why state schools don't offer Pre U and IB as an alternative to A levels.

Our son's state secondary began offering the IB the year he started 6th form, and discontinued it 18 months later (allowing those already on the courses to finish). The teachers never really got to grips with the syllabus properly, and I believe they had some grant to start it up, but lost it 12 months later. So what should have been a good alternative option became a useless dead-end.

michaels

Cakeguts wrote: »

I can't understand this either which is why I don't understand why state schools don't offer Pre U and IB as an alternative to A levels. Pre U is much harder than A levels of today and is nearer to the old A levels that you did after O levels. It also has higher grade awards so would suit the more academic students. I don't see why they can't have this choice. If a more academic course and exam would suit the more intelligent students why wouldn't they be offered the chance to do the course? Why does everything have to sink to the mediocre and not chase excellence at everything?

Our local state school is league table topping - they tried IB for the brightest and got mediocre results and having taken the brightest out of A levels there average result was down for that was well - I think they have abandoned the idea now....

Cakeguts

michaels wrote: »

Our local state school is league table topping - they tried IB for the brightest and got mediocre results and having taken the brightest out of A levels there average result was down for that was well - I think they have abandoned the idea now....

How can they be league table topping if they can't get people through IB? Surely if you are top of the league tables you should be able to teach all post 16 education courses not just the easiest to the average 6th form students? Something seriously wrong with the teaching at that school. What happens if someone wants to do IB or Pre U presumably they would have to change schools?

michaels

Cakeguts wrote: »

How can they be league table topping if they can't get people through IB? Surely if you are top of the league tables you should be able to teach all post 16 education courses not just the easiest to the average 6th form students? Something seriously wrong with the teaching at that school. What happens if someone wants to do IB or Pre U presumably they would have to change schools?

Um...cos you know exactly how to teach students to get good grades in A levels cos you have been doing it for years whereas you don't know how to teach to the exam for the IB....

LHW99

whereas you don't know how to teach to the exam for the IB....

and it is much harder to teach 'to' an IB as it requires more independent thought / study

caronoel

LHW99 wrote: »

and it is much harder to teach 'to' an IB as it requires more independent thought / study

Independent thought is sadly lacking in most of the grads I've seen in recent years. Most of them are book smart, but little else