BB FANS

TF... Wigan does NOT have a university! There is a technical college.. several 6th forms...

well, technically it does, Wigan and Leigh College, where you can study a degree in Tourism Management. In Wigan's case this basically leads to a job at Going Places in the High Street

Sounds terrible I wouldn't recommend it

Tastyfish Wrote:



It's the only thing that makes result time worth watching on the news, Make's me wish I was younger again and had some brains

interesting article here, A-levels are not what they were.

I received an email this morning from the BBC containing the following:

Someone at the Beeb should be held under the Misuse of Apostrophe (1932) Act...

DeadBrain
Aug 2005

The only A-level student in England and Wales not to achieve straight A-grades today hit out at the examination rules he says have humiliated him. Doug Ramsbottom, 18, got A-grades in all but two of the modules he took across three courses, and in the others he got low Bs, which brought one of his overall grades down to a medium B.

"It's a total embarrassment," Doug told DeadBrain. "All of my friends have got at least three As, and one of them's a spastic. If it wasn't for the unfair rules I'd have got three as well."

Doug fell foul of two different regulations while taking his A-levels. In Gardening Studies he failed to turn up for the exam because he "wanted to watch Neighbours" and consequently got a zero mark, which translates as a B under the current grade boundaries.

Meanwhile in Pornology (the study of internet pornography during IT lessons) Doug turned up but "couldn't be bothered" to answer any of the questions. After writing his name correctly, which scored him one mark (an A-grade), he then produced a mobile phone from his pocket and began playing Snake. He was removed from the room when he challenged one of the invigilators to beat his score and had his exam declared void.

Doug is now considering challenging his results under the Human Rights Act. "I've been discriminated against, it's perfectly obvious," he said. "Just because I made a few mistakes it doesn't mean I shouldn't get straight As like everyone else in the country."

That's taking time wasting to a new low, blimey

i think it's a joke - Deadbrain is always poking fun at the media

one thing they've started doing with SQA exams is awarding derivative grades - this means that if one or two pupils in a year group do particularly badly in the final exams, their grades are automatically shifted up to fit in with the majority from that school and seen as them having a 'bad day'.

I think this is a complete and utter nonsense and gives those with derived grades a false sense of security/ability

By TREVOR KAVANAGH
theSun

BRITAIN is “years behind the rest of the world” in school exam standards, a watchdog warned last night.

Ken Boston, of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, lashed out as a key exam board revealed it used secretaries to mark GCSE papers.

Edexcel, one of the UK’s three main exam boards, admitted using office staff to meet deadlines for this year’s papers.

Mr Boston said the standard of our exams was “Rolls-Royce”, but warned that the way they were marked was “Morris Minor”.

In a damning verdict, he said the system that decides the careers of millions of school leavers was not yet fit for the 21st century.

Mr Boston said: “The modernisation of exam offices in schools and further education colleges is all proceeding. We are now using couriers for the collection of scripts from schools.

“It’s all bar-coded, everything can be followed. Scripts can occasionally go astray but they can be traced. The system is moving steadily into the 21st century but it’s not there yet.

“With the marking process, we are still years behind the rest of the world.”

Edexcel insisted clerical staff were only used to check papers with one-word answers to multiple choice questions.

A spokesman said: “Edexcel is confident in the quality of the marking of its scripts by qualified markers. Students will receive the right grade, marked in a professional way.

“The small number of staff involved were suitably qualified graduates, many with teaching experience.”

But one examiner said: “I’m concerned for the candidates who sat these papers and really I’m outraged that it’s being done in a secretive manner.

“It’s the first time in 20 years I’ve heard of clerical staff being drafted in to mark papers.”

Experts warned that thousands of youngsters are learning how to pass exams without knowing enough about the subjects involved.

Their assessment is a blow for Tony Blair who vowed to make education his top priority as Prime Minister.

It comes on the eve of Thursday’s GCSE results and in the wake of last week’s 96 per cent A-level pass fiasco.

Ministers are braced for questions today when test results for seven and 11-year-olds are published.

And there are fears that Thursday’s GCSE results for 600,000 pupils will also draw heavy flak.

Fresh charges of grade inflation are expected, with 98 per cent of candidates set to pass.

Chris Woodhead, former Chief Inspector of Schools, said: “The number of passes for maths and English has gone down while their place had been filled by media studies, drama, PE and vocational qualifications.

“A GNVQ in information technology, for instance, is worth four passes. It is tragic. The Government should close down this scam.”

well, we'll soon find out if standards are slipping when more and more universities insist on entrance exams. I think exams are just different - they're bound to change the way subjects are taught to improve marks. like anything really. every year learns from the previous years mistakes, etc.

i still want to know what they cover in a physics and maths A level though.

totally agree. more news here BBC News
as well as this the SQA is so absorbed in self-importance anyway it should be scrapped and replaced by a newer organisation. can you fail an exam in Scotland? they even have fallback grades for people who can't pass a subject

Aug 24 2005
dailyrecord

Students can now sign up for a degree in computer hacking. The University of Glamorgan will teach how to hack into a system, so users can learn how to make their computers more secure

press association
Wednesday August 24, 10:39 PM

Ministers acknowledged that too many teenagers are leaving school without key skills - while business leaders attacked the Government's record on teaching children basic English and maths.

Schools minister Jacqui Smith urged more young people to consider staying on at school, college or training after they receive their GCSE results on Thursday.

As nearly 600,000 pupils prepared to find out their grades, Ms Smith said: "They should know that many doors are still open to them, regardless of their results."

The Education Department said there were still too many teenagers without key skills leaving education altogether aged 16.

Ms Smith said: "Staying-on rates in England, whilst improving, continue to be below those of our main competitors.

"The Government is determined to tackle this stubborn issue and ensure that every year more young people are attaining the qualifications they need to go on and succeed."

Her remarks came as the Institute of Directors (IoD) said its members were crying out for an improvement in basic skills among job applicants.

Controversial vocational courses which increasing numbers of teenagers are taking must also be made more rigorous so pupils master basic numeracy and literacy, the IoD said.

Richard Wilson, head of business policy at the IoD, said: "The starting point for employers recruiting staff is surely to have access to candidates with basic literacy and numeracy skills.

"We are not there yet. If individuals lack these skills, workplace training and development or progression into further and higher education becomes much more difficult."

Good on him!!
ROFL!