Reply to: We is all fick

[pr1]

If you happened to look at A level Maths books over the last 40 years you will see that some of the stuff has gone missing...

I dont make it a pastime but yes, while I was doing my easy peasy counting-to-ten maths A level we did look at past exam papers from the 1970s and 1980s and yes, they were very difficult. But in those days you only needed to get a B to get into a top university whereas now you need near perfect scores, if you get stumped on one question you're screwed

[SueEllen]

You need A* A* A (A*s in maths/fmaths) to get into a top tier red brick for maths these days, so while the exams are no doubt easier you do have to absolutely nail them to get the results you need (90%+)

If you happened to look at A level Maths books over the last 40 years you will see that some of the stuff has gone missing...

[pr1]

I did maths and further maths at a-level and got a grade A in one, so I was fairly handy with an abacus. I then went on to study maths as a joint honours subject at a top tier red brick uni in the early 90s.. and I really struggled with the maths. I found it a huge jump from a-level. I scraped through the maths but the top end kids waltzed through without trying. At that level in the top unis, success at maths is mostly aptitude not grind. The grinders don't get 1st class honours in maths (I exclude stats from this generalisation - since stats is fairly concrete, easy to grasp maths).

You need A* A* A (A*s in maths/fmaths) to get into a top tier red brick for maths these days, so while the exams are no doubt easier you do have to absolutely nail them to get the results you need (90%+)

[Fronttoback]

I did Maths A-Level back in 92. We were told back then that the work involved to get three good A-Level results (BBB or better) would be the same amount of work that we'd do across three years to get a degree. Looking back, they were right. That said, I went to a grammar school's sixth form unit rather than a sixth form college so we may have been pushed harder.

I was in the last year to do O-level, and I remember in year 2 of A-level my maths teacher complaining about the new influx of GCSE maths students starting A-level but being a long way behind we'd been after O-level.

But then I went to University (computing/electronics) and it seemed everything in the first year was rehasing stuff I already knew from A-level Maths or Physics.

Internationally we were probably all fick in 1989 too.

I did maths and further maths at a-level and got a grade A in one, so I was fairly handy with an abacus. I then went on to study maths as a joint honours subject at a top tier red brick uni in the early 90s.. and I really struggled with the maths. I found it a huge jump from a-level. I scraped through the maths but the top end kids waltzed through without trying. At that level in the top unis, success at maths is mostly aptitude not grind. The grinders don't get 1st class honours in maths (I exclude stats from this generalisation - since stats is fairly concrete, easy to grasp maths).

[LondonManc]

I was in the last year to do O-level, and I remember in year 2 of A-level my maths teacher complaining about the new influx of GCSE maths students starting A-level but being a long way behind we'd been after O-level.

But then I went to University (computing/electronics) and it seemed everything in the first year was rehasing stuff I already knew from A-level Maths or Physics.

Internationally we were probably all fick in 1989 too.

I did Maths A-Level back in 92. We were told back then that the work involved to get three good A-Level results (BBB or better) would be the same amount of work that we'd do across three years to get a degree. Looking back, they were right. That said, I went to a grammar school's sixth form unit rather than a sixth form college so we may have been pushed harder.

[LondonManc]

I'm not really into passive aggressive bullying thanks.

But thanks for the tip!

Best avoiding the General forum then.

[shaunbhoy]

I'm not really into passive aggressive bullying thanks.

Are you sure you are in the right place then?

But thanks for the tip!

You are welcome.

[Fronttoback]

Once you have been here a little longer it will rapidly become apparent that very little factual data need be supplied before assguru jumps to outlandish conclusions.
It is a function of his one-dimensional mind, and whilst it invariably makes him look like a complete jackass, he is at least OUR jackass.

HTH

I'm not really into passive aggressive bullying thanks.

But thanks for the tip!

[shaunbhoy]

Gap between GCSE and a-level much easier to measure consistently across the country and thus make generalised statements thereof.

Once you have been here a little longer it will rapidly become apparent that very little factual data need be supplied before assguru jumps to outlandish conclusions.
It is a function of his one-dimensional mind, and whilst it invariably makes him look like a complete jackass, he is at least OUR jackass.

HTH

[VectraMan]

Just a small stats point...

The distance between a-level and degree level maths is largely a function of where you did your maths degree, and therefore hard to measure usefully.

Gap between GCSE and a-level much easier to measure consistently across the country and thus make generalised statements thereof.

I was in the last year to do O-level, and I remember in year 2 of A-level my maths teacher complaining about the new influx of GCSE maths students starting A-level but being a long way behind we'd been after O-level.

But then I went to University (computing/electronics) and it seemed everything in the first year was rehasing stuff I already knew from A-level Maths or Physics.

Internationally we were probably all fick in 1989 too.

[Fronttoback]

And the gap between A-level Maths and university level maths is also high.
A-level maths is a joke now compared to when I did it in the 80s, bite sized questions leading you to the answers.
Which means university maths has also fallen in standard, since the raw material cannot deal with sophisticated concepts.
But that means old farts like me stay in business as the younger generation are so crap, mathematically

Just a small stats point...

The distance between a-level and degree level maths is largely a function of where you did your maths degree, and therefore hard to measure usefully.

Gap between GCSE and a-level much easier to measure consistently across the country and thus make generalised statements thereof.

[SueEllen]

India scored so badly in the PISA tests in 2012 that they decided not to enter again.

Which is one way of dealing with a low ranking.

That's cos their pupils' parents couldn't bribe anyone.


(Sorry on a phone & in meeting so can't provide link.)

[BrilloPad]

India scored so badly in the PISA tests in 2012 that they decided not to enter again.

Which is one way of dealing with a low ranking.

Couldn't they offshore them?

[tomtomagain]

India scored so badly in the PISA tests in 2012 that they decided not to enter again.

Which is one way of dealing with a low ranking.

[Forumbore]

There is nothing wrong with being thick just look at Dodgyagent