Post by Julianhttp://www.jcgq.org.uk/Publications_and_Common_Docs/03_13_Change_to_re-sit_rule.pdf
Post by Stuart WilliamsPost by JulianApparently since Jan 1st 2004, all GCE exams/units can be now be taken
an unlimited number of times.
Yes, we know. See
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=alt.uk.a-
levels+unlimited+resits&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&safe=off&selm=MPG.1a6e5c77fc938e2a9896d1%40usenet.plus.net&rnum=4
Or search Google groups for alt.uk.a-levels+unlimited+resits
What's your point?
Stuart Williams
The maths a-level has been made much easier and is now in line with all
other subjects that are of AS standard. The people who will take the new AS
course in Maths will find it much easier as it truly is now only AS standard
and the harder stuff has been transfered to the A2.
It's worth distinguishing between the volume of work and its
difficulty. There has been a trimming of the amount of content, but
what has been removed is applications work (mechanics, statistics or
decision/discrete), with the 'pure' core being left intact overall. It
tends to be the pure that students find hardest, so in theory all the
"harder stuff" is still there in the AS. (OTOH many centres have been
running implementations of AS that include A2 work...)
Post by JulianWhat is worrying is already this year's overall pass rate for A-LEVEL MATHS
was 37.9% almost 40% of students in maths got A grades.
Do you find it equally worrying that well over 80% get A grades in
ancient Greek? If not, what distinguishes the two cases? Before
agreeing with your concern, I'd like to be clear about what,
precisely, you are concerned about.
Post by JulianWhen these new revised maths specifications are awarded next year it seems
like there will be a large rise in number of A's in Maths.....
Are you still talking about A2 grades? If so the effect of a
slimmed-down AS may well be to *reduce* the A rate at A2.
Currently there is a very high attrition rate during and at the end of
the AS year because of the content overload. Many middle-ranking and
weaker students are dropping maths who (everyone hopes) will be
persuaded to continue with it under the new arrangements. If the plan
works, and *if* all other things were equal, the proportion of A2
students achieving A grades would *decrease*.
But I've been talking about *proportions*, whereas you mentioned
*numbers*. Nearly everyone wants the numbers achieving *all* the
grades to increase.
Post by JulianIt could be almost 50% A grades in Maths..... quite crazy, maybe less
people will fail it was well considering the AS people will take their AS
certificate and only the best AS people taking it on to A2...
Very, very few people should ever fail A2, obviously. This applies to
all subjects. After the end of the AS year, only those with good
prospects of passing should continue to A2.