As A Level results approach..., ...make sure you get your money's worth! Options

[Norway]

I posted a while back about my negative experience of a university music department. I was unlucky - there are good and bad ones out there. If your youngster finds that work is not being marked in a reasonable time, or that the lecturers can't be bothered to teach properly, look up the rules and don't be afraid to move. Good luck to anyone awaiting the results next week anyway! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[wurlitzer]

I am praying for an A* in music although I think it unlikely as I really messed up one of the essays in my exam by misreading a question (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I really hope I get at least an A in chemistry and music along with an A* in maths though, just so I still have A* A A and Cambridge (to study music) isn't out of the picture! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[ben_walker446]

Regarding university music departments and university departments in general. Usually departments have student representatives who are there to talk to the department board about issues that the students have. Issues such as those mentioned by Norway should generally be mentioned to the lecturer first, then such student representatives and then the academic officer or similar role that the student union has.

[notmusimum]

I am praying for an A* in music although I think it unlikely as I really messed up one of the essays in my exam by misreading a question (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I really hope I get at least an A in chemistry and music along with an A* in maths though, just so I still have A* A A and Cambridge (to study music) isn't out of the picture! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

I was under the impression A was the highest obtainable for music.......

[Norway]

Regarding university music departments and university departments in general. Usually departments have student representatives who are there to talk to the department board about issues that the students have. Issues such as those mentioned by Norway should generally be mentioned to the lecturer first, then such student representatives and then the academic officer or similar role that the student union has.

Student reps are just students - they can't shout too loudly (in my department anyone who complained got lower grades or bad references written for them). Various students complained to the whole range of possible authorities at the uni but nothing was done. People getting firsts had inappropriate relationships with lecturers, and overseas students paying more always got a 2:1 even though it was obvious that some of them weren't all that good. Going through the official channels might be OK to sort out minor issues in a generally OK department, but it will work against students in one which is rotten to the core.

[andante]

I am praying for an A* in music although I think it unlikely as I really messed up one of the essays in my exam by misreading a question (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I really hope I get at least an A in chemistry and music along with an A* in maths though, just so I still have A* A A and Cambridge (to study music) isn't out of the picture! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

I was under the impression A was the highest obtainable for music.......

From what I was told A is the highest at AS level, but to get an A* at A level you need more than 90% in all four papers. An average of 90+ is not good enough. I think that applies to all subjects, but it was the HOM who said it.

[Maria]

At AS the highest is an A. At A2 you can get an A* if you have an A on both units at AS and a certain % (can't remember exactly what - about 90% or something) in both A2 units. This is applicable for all A level subjects.

[Tixylix]

From the Edexcel website:

To score an A* at A level you must:

- Get an A grade for your overall A level
- Produce a high level performance at A2 level - scoring at least 90% of the A2 UMS marks

If you do a four-unit A level you must:

- Score at least 320 UMS marks for your overall A level grade
- Score at least 180 UMS marks at A2 level

If you do a six-unit A level you must:

- Score at least 480 UMS marks for your overall A level grade
- Score at least 270 UMS marks at A2 level.

To get an A* in A level Mathematics you must:

- Score at least 480 UMS marks for your overall A level grade
- Score at least 180 UMS marks in Core 3 and Core 4.

Note that 90% UMS does not necessarily translate to 90% on the actual paper - the calculation of UMS points is ridiculously complicated and you can get full UMS marks without getting full marks on the paper (say a paper is out of 45, it may be the case that if you score 40+ you will get 100% UMS. The exact boundaries change each year and may not be the same for each subject or paper).

Isn't it nice that the pass mark for an ABRSM theory paper is always 66%, and the exam is marked out of 100 and it's always 66/100 to pass every year and in every sitting? I have no idea why GCSEs and A levels can't be like that but then I don't work for an exam board.

[andante]

The reason UMS marks vary is because of the modular nature of the papers these days. It is so that if an easier paper is set at one sitting those candidates are at no advantage to those that take that module at the next sitting. I thought UMS marks were very strange until that was explained to me, and then it seemed the most sensible way to do it.

[sbhoa]

The reason UMS marks vary is because of the modular nature of the papers these days. It is so that if an easier paper is set at one sitting those candidates are at no advantage to those that take that module at the next sitting. I thought UMS marks were very strange until that was explained to me, and then it seemed the most sensible way to do it.

Who decides what's easier. Since it's meant to be the same 'qualification' regardless of the year you take it isn't easier or harder a matter of what suits each candidate's strengths?
If they really do knowingly set easier and harder papers the whole thing is suspect anyway....

[andante_in_c]

In the 'good' old days (when I were a lass (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ) A levels were 'norm referenced': the A grade was awarded to the highest n% candidates, the B grade to the next highest n% etc. So a difficult paper would result in the bar being slightly lower in terms of actual marks awarded, and an easier paper would mean the bar was set higher.

Today's exams are a mixture of norm referenced and criteria referenced: there is an absolute boundary above which an A grade will be awarded (80%), but this boundary may be set lower in the case of a harder paper. It is very tricky to assess the difficulty of a paper beforehand, because the people who would tend to know are also likely to be teachers of candidates sitting the exam, so the adjustment of grade boundaries is done retrospectively once the raw results are known.

[sbhoa]

But couldn't generally lower marks be down to the particular year group?
It may well not happen on a large scale but I've noticed that though most years there's a balance some years you get a particularly bright class and others the opposite. This is in a one class intake primary school.
Primary teachers I know have seen this too.

[andante]

But across the whole country that is far less likely to happen.

[andante_in_c]

But couldn't generally lower marks be down to the particular year group?
It may well not happen on a large scale but I've noticed that though most years there's a balance some years you get a particularly bright class and others the opposite. This is in a one class intake primary school.
Primary teachers I know have seen this too.

Yes, and under the old system that would have meant it was easier to get an A grade than in a year that was better than average. The system we have now means that students are not penalised for being in a brighter-than-average year.