A Level Results....guess what :-)

[Ten Ninety]

turbobloke said:

And failing even that, isn't coursework 'iterated' n times based on interim marking feedback so that all except the most terminally retarded and totally lazy can see what changes they need to make? Not exactly the teacher's work but not exactly the student's work either.

The introduction of 'controlled assessment' supposedly restricted multiple re-drafting but... well, you know the answer.

The iteration and feedback which you describe is, essentially, learning. It should therefore have no place in what is supposed to be an assessment of prior learning. But if 'my' career is going to be restricted (or, indeed terminated) as a result of my retarded/feckless charges' inability to meet an arbitrarily-imposed government benchmark, then 'I' am not going to let minor pedagogical distinctions like that get in the way.

[turbobloke]

I can see that. If the government and exam boards set up a game then teachers will play.

[Ten Ninety]

turbobloke said:

I can see that. If the government and exam boards set up a game then teachers will play.

Indeed. Although some of us choose an alternative strategy in that particular game i.e. selecting GCSE-equivalent courses that are so easy to pass the students don't need any 'extra help' from us at all. Although perhaps that's a discussion for next week's GCSE thread rather than this A-Level one...

[dickymint]

Sounds simple to me. Anything that is not written in a supervised/controlled environment should have no bearing on any exam grade.

[turbobloke]

Ten Ninety said:

Although perhaps that's a discussion for next week's GCSE thread rather than this A-Level one...

Septic Peg says.................

...your prediction is correct...

[Derek Smith]

Ten Ninety said:

The introduction of 'controlled assessment' supposedly restricted multiple re-drafting but... well, you know the answer.

The iteration and feedback which you describe is, essentially, learning. It should therefore have no place in what is supposed to be an assessment of prior learning. But if 'my' career is going to be restricted (or, indeed terminated) as a result of my retarded/feckless charges' inability to meet an arbitrarily-imposed government benchmark, then 'I' am not going to let minor pedagogical distinctions like that get in the way.

My experiences in the police suggested to me that it is all fluff.

I had to produce stats for my departments and no one cared as long as they showed an improvement, however slight. Then, often when forces were struggling, the government would bring in new criteria and we could then do what the hell we liked and the old caveat of: the figures are not directly comparable to last year's. Home and dry.

If my figures had merely shown a consistency then I'd have been in trouble. I'd have had meetings with the boss, been told to change working practices and eventually be moved. That is despite my boss knowing that those who showed a level return were probably the honest ones as funding would have gone down.

When the 20%+ budget cut goes through you can bet that police forces will show that not only have they been able to cope without cutting service delivery but that there were more officers on the streets. Everyone will know it is rubbish of course, especially those who have called for the asistance of police, but that doesn't matter. The figures will prove black is whatever colour the government wants it to be.

I'd appreciate your views on this. I was talking to my youngest's geography teacher and he said that the emphasis on coursework favoured females, or conversely an emphasis on exams favoured males. He told me, some years ago now, that the pass rates for females would increase quite dramatically on any subject that had a big emphasis on coursework, such as geography.

[Ten Ninety]

Derek Smith said:

I'd appreciate your views on this. I was talking to my youngest's geography teacher and he said that the emphasis on coursework favoured females, or conversely an emphasis on exams favoured males. He told me, some years ago now, that the pass rates for females would increase quite dramatically on any subject that had a big emphasis on coursework, such as geography.

His teacher is right, if you look at averages rather than individuals. The reasons are multifarious but essentially boil down to a double-whammy of girls being more adversely affected by stress in examinations and boys being less likely to show the attention to detail (a.k.a. effort) needed to do well in coursework. I would also suggest that boys are rather less likely to ask for the sort of 'help' discussed already on this thread - a suggestion which would appear to be backed up by your own experience.

Borrowing Septic Peg's crystal ball from TB for a moment, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a narrowing (or even reversal) of the current gender gap in the 2014 results.

[turbobloke]

Ten Ninety said:

Derek Smith said:

I'd appreciate your views on this. I was talking to my youngest's geography teacher and he said that the emphasis on coursework favoured females, or conversely an emphasis on exams favoured males. He told me, some years ago now, that the pass rates for females would increase quite dramatically on any subject that had a big emphasis on coursework, such as geography.

His teacher is right, if you look at averages rather than individuals. The reasons are multifarious but essentially boil down to a double-whammy of girls being more adversely affected by stress in examinations and boys being less likely to show the attention to detail (a.k.a. effort) needed to do well in coursework. I would also suggest that boys are rather less likely to ask for the sort of 'help' discussed already on this thread - a suggestion which would appear to be backed up by your own experience.

Borrowing Septic Peg's crystal ball from TB for a moment, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a narrowing (or even reversal) of the current gender gap in the 2014 results.

That vive la différence analysis reminds me of some wise words spoken by the esteemed headmaster of a well known public school for boys when addressing an audience of what was in those days 5th form parents, after mock O-levels.

"If you have daughters who achieved better mock examination grades than your sons, you should't worry unduly as boys have something they can pull out at the last minute that girls don't"

[cuneus]

I really hate the cynical maniplulation that has taken place

Everyone is not a winner and some people are thick

[Derek Smith]

Ten Ninety said:

His teacher is right, if you look at averages rather than individuals. The reasons are multifarious but essentially boil down to a double-whammy of girls being more adversely affected by stress in examinations and boys being less likely to show the attention to detail (a.k.a. effort) needed to do well in coursework. I would also suggest that boys are rather less likely to ask for the sort of 'help' discussed already on this thread - a suggestion which would appear to be backed up by your own experience.

Borrowing Septic Peg's crystal ball from TB for a moment, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a narrowing (or even reversal) of the current gender gap in the 2014 results.

Thanks for that.

I had a lot of time for the geo. teacher, indeed the teachers as a group at my kids' school. All of mine went to the same one and were encouraged and pushed to do as well as they could. Whenever people moan about teachers I always think of what the lot at my kids' school did for my brood. I was kept on at work one parents' evening and I phoned the school to cancel the appointments. My wife was looking after the youngest who was ill so couldn't go. Two of the teachers stayed on until gone 10pm to see me.

One encouraged my youngest to develop his abilities with regards rugby. He came to watch him play when he moved on to 6th form.

[hidetheelephants]

Derek Smith said:

stuff about ghostwriting lots of coursework

It's no reflection upon yourself(I'd do similar if someone asked), but the emperor has no clothes; this is a debasement of the purpose of the secondary education system and completely defeats the primary objective(grading school leavers to stream them into higher education according to ability(or not in the case of the non-academically inclined, although TBH they should have been encouraged to seek a vocational path at an earlier point anyway)).

[Derek Smith]

hidetheelephants said:

It's no reflection upon yourself(I'd do similar if someone asked), but the emperor has no clothes; this is a debasement of the purpose of the secondary education system and completely defeats the primary objective(grading school leavers to stream them into higher education according to ability(or not in the case of the non-academically inclined, although TBH they should have been encouraged to seek a vocational path at an earlier point anyway)).

It wasn't so much that they asked, apart from the first two, but that they paid.

There is acceptance on behalf of the teachers that parents 'help' their children. As I said earlier, I justified my actions, at least to myself, by believing I was acting in loco parentis.

What stopped me was when educated parents couldn't be arsed,

[CT63]

dickymint said:

Sounds simple to me. Anything that is not written in a supervised/controlled environment should have no bearing on any exam grade.

Agree with that, I reckon a large majority will have some form of outside help with coursework, thus unfairly altering their grades

[cuneus]

CT63 said:

Agree with that, I reckon a large majority will have some form of outside help with coursework, thus unfairly altering their grades

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[ChiChoAndy]

You can get past papers as well...

[CT63]

cuneus said:

"48,000+ MODEL AS AND A LEVEL ESSAYS FOR LESS THAN 17P

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Exactly, don't know why teachers would recommend it though!

[turbobloke]

CT63 said:

cuneus said:

"48,000+ MODEL AS AND A LEVEL ESSAYS FOR LESS THAN 17P

For less than 17p a day, get instant access to winning model essays from a site trusted and recommended by Teachers. Now passing your exams is easier - simply study teacher vetted essays here."

Exactly, don't know why teachers would recommend it though!

Sure you would hope not but...because if the site and its material work as intended it would mean higher grades for their students without any additional effort on their part but for which they would get credit?

[s3fella]

So, the internet and Derek Smith is why we have all these thick fkers with 3A*s A levels then?

[Derek Smith]

s3fella said:

So, the internet and Derek Smith is why we have all these thick fkers with 3A*s A levels then?

I'm available for bookings.

Edited to clarify: all I did was translate the coursework into English. I did give the occasional hint that the content was wrong but I never corrected it. There is a suggestion that poor spelling and sentence construction should not be a reason for loss of marks in, for instance, a sociology exam. I can see the logic in English and probably history but not for geography. And I speak here as someone who loves the intracies of the English language.

A German who taught English in Germany stayed at a neighbours and I failed to explain to her the difference between 'I believe that is right in principle' and 'I believe that is right on principle'. Whilst she accepted that the person's actions would be, probably, directly contrary to each other, she struggled with the concept of just a change of preposition, in fact just one letter, changing the whole meaning of the sentence.

Edited by Derek Smith on Sunday 21st August 23:11

[Otispunkmeyer]

turbobloke said:

CT63 said:

cuneus said:

"48,000+ MODEL AS AND A LEVEL ESSAYS FOR LESS THAN 17P

For less than 17p a day, get instant access to winning model essays from a site trusted and recommended by Teachers. Now passing your exams is easier - simply study teacher vetted essays here."

Exactly, don't know why teachers would recommend it though!

Sure you would hope not but...because if the site and its material work as intended it would mean higher grades for their students without any additional effort on their part but for which they would get credit?

I remember there was an ad on Facebook for essay writing services. You could spec a 50k word PhD Thesis or some such absurd tome to be written and delivered the next day if their website was to be believed. I don't for a minute think anyone could write a Thesis from scratch, over night and have be properly linked to what you were doing... but they offered it!!! I did feel like taking them up on their offer of overnight PhD just to see what wikipedia collage got delivered the next day.

I never got any help with coursework... my parents didn't understand any of it anyway!