imlach

I find this astonishing.

Since 2000, the number of children who have sat the Standard Grade English exam in Scotland is 300,000. This is the exam you sit in 4th year of high school up here (around age 16).

The number of people to fail the exam since 2000 is 1, yes one!

I truly believe that this points to a lowering of standards in exams, and therefore general education. An exam paper which means there are NO failures across the whole spectrum of candiates surely indicates that the paper is not challenging enough.

Of course, it will look the goverment look good.....higher pass rates can be passed off as an improved education system.

However, short term political gain can only mean long term educational loss for the future of our country.

Shocking.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Agreed.

The amount of kids I see that can't spell, yet alone string a sentence together only goes to strengthen my views of the above.

milo

how cynical of you! quite obviously its the quality of teaching and improved standard of students that has lead to this.

</sarcasm>

eClaire

Lucky I sat it in 1999 then isn't it (And before you say - yes I passed credit!)

I remember some people who were absolutely appaling at English in the classroom getting a good grades. I personally don't think the exams are challenging enough.

Or you could look at it from the 'Young scots are all really brainy' perspective!

ScoobyDriverWannabe

The exam system is crap, totally unfair. Cant remember how they do it exactly, but they split everybody up into groups, the brainier kids get to do a higher paper and the rest do a lower one, The higher paper can get a A-C grade anything below is a fail, and the lower paper the highest achievable grade is a C or D not sure which one it is exactly, been 6 years since I left school.

But then again i shouldnt really be commenting on this thread seing as i have such a crap use of English language.

imlach

There's also the fact that some schools don't even enter some pupils for certain exams if the pupil is able enough.

At my school, if you were deemed good enough, and were going on to do the Higher exam, they didn't enter you for the O-grade (similar to standard grade now).
It allowed you to concentrate on only those exams in subjects you weren't taking any further....

So, if there are still schools doing this, it means that the fail rate should be higher, given the top streams aren't even sitting the exams.

imlach

I also read in today's press about the entrance standards for medical school being lowered, as we have a shortage of doctors. I always thought the entrance requirements for medical school were too high anyway in relation to other subjects.

I don't think lowering entrance standards is the answer though - I think more vocational pre-entry demonstrations of what a career in medicine would be like would be more useful. A person with 6 A's doesn't necessarily make the best doctor. Someone with 4 B's could be a better doctor overall. As we all know, a judgement made at 16-18 years old to base your future career on is not the best time given the changes people go through at that age. To prejudge on exam results alone at that age is not always the correct method.

imlach

For instance, I know someone who's only reason for rejection to medical school was that they lacked a grade in a Physics exam.

So, a career in medicine was denied over that. 10 years on, it seems such a triviality.

Abdabz

Thats mad as a box of frogs... Who is this one dunce? Seriously though there is no question they get easier every year I failed (U Grade) two GCSE's and failed 2 A levels (U grade) because 12 years ago they were harder exams (not as much namby pamby coursework etc)...
As for higher education, I believe to study a degree these days you need to be able to breathe oxygen and sleep in late...My dog could go to uni these days... The system is a joke....

milo

yes... if you want to get a 2.2 from a polytechnic.

however, to get a good degree from a good university, you do need to work for it (or at least be far more naturally talented at the subject than the majority). there arent many people who can get by without doing any studying and still attain a 1st from a top 5 school.

TopBanana

Did you mean 'the number of kids'?

FAIL! LOL

asagi

Mad

The education system now sucks!

When I left school (Urmm 1987) going to university was a privilage - now it is a right.

You cxan probably now do a degree in teapots.

Still govermenents figures look good.

Cheers