2012 League Tables

[London_Mum]

I have just read the QE thread - how absolutely brutal! Internal assessments to produce a list of A Level subjects a boy is 'allowed to sit' and a cull of 40 boys before A Levels even start. I am sure a lot of Year 6 parents would never accept places for Year 7 if this was made clear in advance. I cannot imagine what it would do to a child's confidence to be told that even if they get A*'s they are still being asked to leave or limited in which subjects they can study. Brutal and yet an obvious consequence of league tables if taken to the absolute extreme.

[pudding34]

An interesting letter from Head of Tiffin Boys regarding facilitating subjects and league tables:

http://www.tiffinschool.co.uk/index.php ... roupLetter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/educa ... 75784.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[London_Mum]

In fairness, I don't think inventing the term 'facilitating subjects' has actually changed the fact that some subjects are deemed academic and some just aren't. When we sat A Levels many years ago, we were told not to take any subject that ended in the word 'studies'. If you wanted to take a serious academic degree at a serious, academic university then Technology, Media Studies and P.E just weren’t going to get you there. Nothing has changed except perhaps it is even harder now to get a uni place than it was back then so I don’t blame students for wanting to make sure they choose the right subjects for the path they hope to follow.

[nat47]

Perhaps not Media Studies and Technology. But Art History, Art, Music, Economics, Philosophy, RS, Theatre Studies, Psychology......? Are these not worthwhile subjects? I read somewhere that apparently Cameron got into Oxford with only one "facilitating" subject, having taken History, Art History and Economics - a perfectly good combination. I'm also told that Philosophy A level, for example, is far more challenging than many other so-called hard or "facilitating" subjects (this from a girl who also took History, English and Maths at A level).

What was wrong with previous years' advice to combine the above-mentioned subjects, for example, with 2 "harder" ones if a student wanted to apply to Russell Gruop universities?

[tiffinboys]

I read somewhere that apparently Cameron got into Oxford with only one "facilitating" subject,

What about connections? Eton.. perhaps difficult for admission tutors at Oxford to refuse some one coming from Eton.

[nat47]

I know state school boys who went to Oxbridge with only one facilitating subject. Obviously it all depends on the degree course you're applying for.

[twelveminus]

<double post>

[twelveminus]

I read somewhere that apparently Cameron got into Oxford with only one "facilitating" subject,

What about connections? Eton.. perhaps difficult for admission tutors at Oxford to refuse some one coming from Eton.

Cameron passed 12 O-levels, and then studied three A-Levels in History of Art, History and Economics with Politics. He obtained three 'A' grades and a '1' grade in the Scholarship Level exam in Economics and Politics

At that time A Level grades were norm-referenced, i.e. the % getting As were fixed, regardless of performance, so only the top 9% (or whatever it was) would get As.



Since 1984 there has been unabated dumbing down - the extent to which this has occurred should be more apparent when you consider that in 1984 only 17% of school leavers got even 1 A Level at any grade (one assumes that many left school, while the overall pass rate was I believe 40%):

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/writ ... statistics" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

so there are many less able candidates taking A Levels and gravitating towards perceived softer subjects.

Since in 1984 these children would not have taken A Levels at all, so there wouldn't have been the issue of facilitating subjects vs. easy ones, since all A Levels would have been aimed at academically capable students.

Much of the controversy over Oxbridge entry has arisen since whereas in 1984, 3 As was something quite exceptional, it is no longer out of the ordinary, and many of the candidates getting 3 As simply aren't up to scratch for Oxbridge admission.

Beyond this I'm not sure how many students did S Level papers in 1984, nor indeed how many got Distinctions, but I suspect it is very few.

Suffice to say, pre-1990s qualifications are not comparable to anything taken in the last decade and more.

[tiffinboys]

Should there be mandatory subjects? Is a pupil only bright if he/she excels in Science and Maths?

If some one has interest in Music and Arts, he still has to take Maths, Biology, Cemistry, Physics and one MFL in grammars. If he then ends up with C or lower grade in these subjects, then he would be culled, as he may not have enough points to move to Sixth form at the same School. One drawback of league table based education.

Would Oxbridge refuse admission to a Mozart2 if he doesn't get AAB in facilitating subjects?

[London_Mum]

Would Oxbridge refuse admission to a Mozart2 if he doesn't get AAB in facilitating subjects?

Potentially yes unless their other selection processes where such that his gift was identified. Having performed for European royalty would surely earn Brownie points on any personal statement!

As the graphs and figures show - there a many candidates who, on paper, more than qualify for Oxbridge as it is without worrying about putting yourself out of the running at the first test i.e. suitability of subjects selected.