Comments on: Exam Grade Inflation

By: Tom, London

Tom, London — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:53:34 +0000

I was in the first year group to take the AS/A2 exams amd I can reveal that they were the easiest exams I have ever sat. You can take any of the modules again until you get a decent mark and swap modules around from your AS to A2 qualification, again until the best result is obtained.

As for university, the supposed height of education, you can quite happily do nothing all year, revise for a week or two and end up with 60-80% easily. I didn’t think it was possible to revise a whole year’s worth university standard syllabus in a matter of days and pass let alone achieve a first!Things need to be made harder, I study Physics and there are people on my course still struggling with basic calculus. Things need to be taught properly and without one eye on the exam at the end of the year!!

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By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:43:36 +0000

Is it not possible that students are simply ‘getting smarter’? And that they are now being victimised for their higher levels of intelligence and understanding, so that they are seen to be having an easier time of it, so to speak?

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By: Stephen Jones

Stephen Jones — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:42:00 +0000

In the late 60s my dad got into Oxford university with two Ds and an E

Probably because he passed the entrance exam, which was difficult (people with three ‘A’s were known to fail, though that was not common).

You wouldn’t have got into a Russell group uni in the 60s on the basis of two Ds and an E, though that might have been possible in unpopular subjects.

I don’t know about now, but in the 60s and 70s, there were vast differences in the qualifications required for different subjects. When I went to University the two that required the highest grades were English Literature and Accounting (the second because Accountancy paid really well in 1969; the salaries slumped when all the accounting graduates left uni in 1972-1973). On the other hand it was generally recognized that it was easier to get a high grade in an Arts subject than a Science one.

Now I shouldn’t be criticizing grade inflation too much today, as I’ve just been told that a university exam I set the students did yesterday, had a much higher mean mark than usual.

“But it was the same exam as two years ago (a Listening exam so no chance the students had old copies).”

“But the results were much lower two years ago.”

“Ah, perhaps that’s because we’re teaching them better.”

“Nope; I reckon it’s because the guy on the new tape didn’t speak as fast.”

Oh well!

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By: Ron Todd

Ron Todd — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:19:16 +0000

When I was at school many years ago in Scotland a fixed percentage of candidates got an A grades (I think 10%) so at least potential employees had a fair idea of our relative standing. Perhapes not a perfect system bur surley better than having a huge range of abilities all getting the same grade.

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By: Ed Abercrombie

Ed Abercrombie — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 18:18:26 +0000

Yes there is certainly a discipline issue, especially in Secondary school, though it does carry over in to post 16 education. This it really why large class sizes are such a big issue in my experience. If classes were smaller then students could me more engaged and then maybe we could set harder exams. There does also need to be more deferentiation of ablity in the exam grades.

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By: jaq

jaq — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:13:24 +0000

Ed Abercrombie said “What about the class sizes of quite often more than 30?”

I went to school in the 70′s (say nothing Vicus, it was a fine vintage) and the class sizes were 40-45. It didn’t stop anyone passing exams (which were not just a test of memory, thankyou), however, one difference was that if you disrupted the class you got a board rubber thrown at your head.

And applied maths and physics should be outlawed? No. Degrees in ghostbusting and surfing should be outlawed.

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By: Captain Badger

Captain Badger — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:24:16 +0000

They still need to sift them into bands of relative ability, instead of giving then all A’s

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By: Ed Abercrombie

Ed Abercrombie — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 21:41:33 +0000

Speaking as a current A-level student the exams don’t feel that easy, though thats probably because i’ve been raised in an an education system that, clearly, goes too softly on us hoody wearing hooligans! What about the class sizes of quite often more than 30? And the constant disruption of classes that arises because of this. Believe me when I say this adds difficulty to passing exams. I also find the argument of making exams harder somewhat redundant (Though Universities do need a way of defferetiating candidates………oh wait why don’t they all just interview or ask for submitted work?), just because an exam is hard it doesn’t mean it proves anything. I’m sure memorising the complete works of Plato would be difficult but it doesn’t prove much other than your disturbingly good memory or the fact that you have managed to read Paul Mckenna’s latest edition of: Memory Improvement Psycho Babble. Exams now actually test skills of deduction and ask students to make their own conclusions and analysis on the topic in hand.
P.S Subjects with the words “Applied” or “Studies” in the title probably should be outlawed.

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By: Captain Badger

Captain Badger — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:39:18 +0000

No amount of dumbing down has stopped me noticing my tax bill just doubled. Should’ve given it a few more years before the effects of abolishing education really kicked in Gordon.

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By: k

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:53:04 +0000

Heidi,
Your comment proves that standards have dropped. You do not appear to have any analytical abilities whatsoever. The reason why universities require higher grades now is simply because more students obtain these higher grades. Do you think that if only a handful of students obtained A grades each year universities would leave most of their places empty (and get fined) rather than take students with lower grades? The higher grades required by universities is simply a result of grade inflation. A-levels are easier now, apart from anything else students can retake modules again and again (and buy coursework to order from certain internet sites)-no wonder you are better prepared. This grade inflation is also the reason why many universities are setting their own entrance exams now as an A at A level is no longer an indication of an ability to undertake an academic degree.

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