how did anyone do?
Am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?
sarax, we do not have A levels in the USA. In the states we have to take all students, regardless of ability until 18 years of age. They lower level students are not farmed out to Voc. Ed. here, unless by choice.
england is pretty much suck ass… unless your rich, but with the same amount of money you could have it better in america.
i hate england… sigh
since you dont, why didnt you come to the conclusion its not relevent to you
A fair point.
I did well, thanks. That was a few years ago, mind.
How did you do, sara?
I got a B in general studies. Saved my ass I can tell you.
My baby brother got his three A’s, therefore earning his place in Oxford New College… he managed a 98/100 in stats and 92/100 in psychology.
I’m so proud I could sing. He is a bit of a memory machine though Sara…! The day he got the results he also left for Russia to climb Mount Elbrus!
congrats to your baby brother!!!
to all you american types, i did realise that by posting this at about 1 in the morning i was only likely to get answers from about now other than from you guys, but i’d just got back from work, and was curious to see how other ppl did, cos im sure there are other right age-ish people here, maybe i’m wrong tho!
SIATD, i got what I needed so i’m well chuffed!
Am I reading this right? In england the kids that have problems with grades are put straight into vocational training? At what age does this occur?
a levels? sure, we have plenty… windows and walls plumb and square…
I thought the leaning tower was in pisa…
-Imp
I left school with no exam passes or nothing, I just couldn’t be bothered sitting 'em…
No sweat, my experience has been that most employers don’t give a spit about exam results, all that matters is that you do well at the interview, and I’m the best there is
For example I applied for a temporary job at the Park Hotel Leicester about 6 years ago and was so good at the interview they offered me the job of general manager, but I had to turn it down because I was moving to Plymouth shortly.
Otherwise I’d have become Basil Fawlty…
Can someone please describe to an American like myself what A level is, I’m very interested to know.
So its a method of academic evaluation? Like the SAT?
The A level is now split into two sets of exams, AS levels and A2 Levels. As levels are for the first year of “Sixth Form” which is age 17, the year right after our GCSE year. Traditionally, the A Levels were taken as exams to test the learning over two years, but now we have AS levels to test after one year and then A2 to test more synoptically.
As levels - 17 years old (typically 4 per child)
A2 levels - 18 years old (typically 3 of the original four continued)
They are the main judge of whether or not a university will take you. You will apply to a university on the merit of your GCSE and AS level results along with the predictions from your teachers of your A2 results. An offer from the uni will be made such as “A place conditional upon the achievement of two B grades and one C grade at A2”.
Some people do not get good enough GCSE results to warrant continuing on to take A Levels. These people, if they go into further education post-16, may opt to go to college to do a fewer amount of A levels or to do qualifications such as HNVs which are sometimes more vocational. People without AS/A2 levels can still go to university, but typically they will not have enough ‘points’ to go to the ‘better’ universities. My cousin, for example, was not the academic type but rather a more artistic soul… he ended up doing various HND-type qualifications such as photography and fine art and now has a respectable “post-grad” job with a graphic design firm.
Kids who completely mess up their GCSE exams at age 16 often have the choice to retake them, but those who really dont do well will not typically go on to take A levels. To say we ‘farm’ lower grade achievers out to vocational schools is not quite correct. You could still take A levels if you messed up GCSEs but it often depends on circumstances and what schoolas you have available to you. If you have the money you cn take whatever you want. If you want it government funded the options are fewer.
In the UK, kids must be in education until 16, after which it is up to the child if they want to continue or go into work.
Seems like slackers have a snowballs chance in hell in the UK.
What do these A levels cover? How long are these tests? Do they cover EVERYTHING you’ve learned in the two years before A levels? Are they comprable to a bigger, more comprehensive AP or IB test (if you know what that is)?
Seems like slackers have a snowballs chance in hell in the UK.
All I can say is… damn. It’s seems like slackers really don’t have much of a shot. In the US, pretty much anyone can get into a state college, and from there if they apply themselves they can get into a good grad/law/med school. And grad school’s what really matters. But in the UK… wow. That system pwns people it seems.
I’m trying to think if we have anything comparable in Canada, but I don’t think we do.
How well you do in High School simply determines whether you will get into University, and which one. There are a few tests, but no standardized broad range intelligence type ones.
There are a few tests, but no standardized broad range intelligence type ones.
No SAT?
Nope.
We do have the MCAT and the LSTAT, which are post-undergrad tests for Medicine and Law, respectively, though.
Man I’m glad I live where I do, the SATs where the only thing that got me into college, my high school grades were total crap and I still managed to get into a pretty good school.