Gotten

[Chris152]

That's why I said that paper could get you "C".

"A 9 is for a student who has performed exceptionally well – usually in the top 5% of the cohort. A Grade 7 has been matched to the bottom of the old Grade A and Grade 1 aligns with the bottom of the old Grade G. Grade 4 is a standard pass. Grade 5 is known as a strong pass.

• 9 = High A*
• 8 = Low A* or high A grade
• 7 = Low A grade
• 6 = High B grade
• 5 = Low B or high C grade

• 4 = Low C grade
• 3 = D or high E grade
• 2 = Low E or high F grade
• 1 = Low F or G grade
• U = U"

That's the full spectrum; anything below C is just an indication of how far the student failed to achieve a pass, but is nonetheless an indication of what they have achieved. The simplest questions on the papers will have been to achieve a low F or G grade.

 

[Chris152]

Brian Bilston, popped up on my FB feed this morning

 

[Phil Pascoe]

"A 9 is for a student who has performed exceptionally well – usually in the top 5% of the cohort. A Grade 7 has been matched to the bottom of the old Grade A and Grade 1 aligns with the bottom of the old Grade G. Grade 4 is a standard pass. Grade 5 is known as a strong pass.

• 9 = High A*
• 8 = Low A* or high A grade
• 7 = Low A grade
• 6 = High B grade
• 5 = Low B or high C grade

• 4 = Low C grade
• 3 = D or high E grade
• 2 = Low E or high F grade
• 1 = Low F or G grade
• U = U"

That's the full spectrum; anything below C is just an indication of how far the student failed to achieve a pass, but is nonetheless an indication of what they have achieved. The simplest questions on the papers will have been to achieve a low F or G grade.

They were from the first 24 questions, which could get you a "C". Questions 1 - 24 were foundation level (up to and inc. "C", questions 17 - 40 were higher tier, up to "A". Older people especially would take a "C" to be a decent pass and indicate a level of competence.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Brian Bilston, popped up on my FB feed this morning

View attachment 188759

Brilliant!.

 

[MikeJhn]

When was the grading system introduced and more importantly why? In the days when I was eligible to take "O" or "A" levels it was either a pass or fail.

 

[JimJay]

When was the grading system introduced and more importantly why? In the days when I was eligible to take "O" or "A" levels it was either a pass or fail.

According to Wikipedia, it was simply "Pass" or "Fail" until 1975. To the best of my recollection, that's nonsense: I well remember my university choices in 1967 being contingent on getting at least 2 A and one B grades at A-levels, and my O-level exams a couple of years prior were also graded.

Apropos of earlier comments, a minimum of a "good pass" in Latin was also required to join many Law faculties.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Mine were graded in 1970.

An interesting observation was made in a letter in The Times a few years ago - when O levels were introduced they were deemed suitable for the top 20% of the population. Now degrees are deemed suitable for the top 50%. Human intelligence hasn't changed much in seventy years so therefore something else has.

 

[Scruples]

Mine were graded in 1970.

An interesting observation was made in a letter in The Times a few years ago - when O levels were introduced they were deemed suitable for the top 20% of the population. Now degrees are deemed suitable for the top 50%. Human intelligence hasn't changed much in seventy years so therefore something else has.

That's an interesting observation.

Human intelligence may not have changed much, though I would query that, but children now learn more at an earlier age that those 20 years older. It is not intelligence that passes exams, it's memory and access to higher education that makes the difference. I know my grandchildren are actually educated to a higher level that I was at the same age and my 2 year old can hold a conversation and ask questions, which I couldn't.

I have met many people in my lifetime who have achieved university qualifications yet some of them didn't have enough intelligence to do things us lesser mortals took for granted.

 

[AJB Temple]

According to Wikipedia, it was simply "Pass" or "Fail" until 1975. To the best of my recollection, that's nonsense: I well remember my university choices in 1967 being contingent on getting at least 2 A and one B grades at A-levels, and my O-level exams a couple of years prior were also graded.

Apropos of earlier comments, a minimum of a "good pass" in Latin was also required to join many Law faculties.

I well remember the Latin rule. I changed schools aged 15 (for various reasons going back to nursery school age, I was a year early to do GCSEs ) and to get into Oxbridge to study law (or anything I thought) it was necessary to have Latin O level the school said. I had never studied it before, but the school I was at was an exam factory and they crammed both Latin and Greek in a year during our first year studying A levels (we also had to do General Studies for some unknown reason). It was bizarre really as the amount of Latin used in undergrad law courses was minimal and you could probably learn all of the stock phrases in a day or less. Offers were made on the basis of interviews and no one asked me a single thing about Latin or Greek. I was quite annoyed about it. Oddly, I remember the Latin but hardly any Greek.

 

[HOJ]

How many 50 pences are there in £200?
What is 17 + 14?
Write 6008 in words.
28 x 4?

Was that anywhere near 1975, that's probably why I only got a D, numbers weren't and still aren't my strong point.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

11 - 12 years ago.

 

[JimJay]

That's an interesting observation.

Human intelligence may not have changed much, though I would query that, but children now learn more at an earlier age that those 20 years older. It is not intelligence that passes exams, it's memory and access to higher education that makes the difference. I know my grandchildren are actually educated to a higher level that I was at the same age and my 2 year old can hold a conversation and ask questions, which I couldn't.

I have met many people in my lifetime who have achieved university qualifications yet some of them didn't have enough intelligence to do things us lesser mortals took for granted.

I'd certainly agree with your final point: at the risk of yet again attracting the ire of the "No politics here" zealots, one single word will suffice - Johnson.

The rest of your comment is untrue, in my experience; my wife, a university professor, concurs - she despairs at the poor educational standards and intelligence of today's undergraduates, with a few outstanding exceptions every year.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I always remember a very late night conversation in a bar between university bigwigs in the late '90's, discussing the setting up of Falmouth University. One said you're OK for your courses, aren't you? They need 2 Bs and and a C to get on them. Yes, said the other, I just wish they could send me students who could read, write and point north.
It summed things up.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Oddly, I remember the Latin but hardly any Greek.

I remember the latin, but the German O level was a total waste of time. I could have done Greek instead and wish I had.

 

[JimJay]

I use my Latin pretty much every day, explaining to my students how useful it is when deciphering unfamiliar words they might encounter in their English studies. I do admit to some googling to supplement my failing memory though....

 

[JimJay]

I remember the latin, but the German O level was a total waste of time. I could have done Greek instead and wish I had.

If you can still remember your German, then it probably wasn't a waste of time. How useful Ancient Greek might have been is another question, apart from deciphering scientific neologisms or the odd philosophical tenet.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

That's the point, I remember none of the German.

 

[JimJay]

That's the point, I remember none of the German.

But can you at least remember not to mention Ze Vor?

 

[guineafowl21]

I did Latin A-level (the only weirdo one in the school for one year of it). It helped with a lot of medical/anatomical words, and with spelling in general.

A little bit of Greek was thrown in too, and again that helped in the same way - if you struggle to spell ‘diarrhoea’ or ‘ophthalmoscope’, it’s easier if you understand the word in its original language.

It also means I don’t annoy pedants by writing ‘the hoi polloi’ or ‘octopi’. A lot more of the jokes in Yes, Prime Minister are accessible too

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, that's an added bonus.