Exam results

[Kilbowie's Finest]

Council wide we're s4. It's virtually impossible to cover everything. Still, autonomy: brilliant stuff.

Agreed mate - am in West Lothian too - real push to cover it all in a year

[stumigoo]

I think from now people might start edging parts of the N5 into their S3 curriculum (added value for example) but to start last year was more of a challenge given the element of the the unknown as to assessment and parts of the course. This year (hopefully) will be a bit more settled and people will find ways of easing their workload.

[Hedgecutter]

It doesn't help that the internal assessments are so wooly. You can say what you like about the old Nabs but they wet close enough to the standard of the exam to provide decent preparation for it, and actually were of a test format.

I remember when I was doing Advanced Higher Chemistry that there was a nab on 'organic chemistry' that for some reason I just could not pass despite several resits and being fine at everything else throughout the course.

Can't actually remember if I sat the final exam (no memory of it at all) but pretty sure that if I had then I would have passed fine due to the organic section being just one part.

I know I got a D. Teachers kept saying that you can get an A at Higher if you scrape by but I already had one of those!

[Jan Vojáček]

Well done Sonsteam - excellent results mate

Cheers Bankie scum

[Kilbowie's Finest]

You are welcome - tell your Sister and your girlfriend I was asking for her

[AyrshireTon]

Every school I know of is just starting them at the beginning of S3, just as Standard Grades did.

It was meant to be a broad based curriculum until the end of S3, then you narrow down your selection for exams.

I don't think this is actually happening anywhere.

Bring back Standard Grades !!!

No.

Standard grade had the two-element part of the assessment, plus any internally assesses elements.

Internal sections were too easy to fiddle (pupil's internal is a grade 1, yet nowhere near that for exams).

Having two elements in the assessment disadvantaged those who were strong at learning but could not problem solve.

There were also cases of pupils with a 1 & 2 giving them an overall 1 and thinking they could do higher.

I think from now people might start edging parts of the N5 into their S3 curriculum

I reckon many will be doing this already, some in S2 with their top sections.

[madwullie]

It was meant to be a broad based curriculum until the end of S3, then you narrow down your selection for exams.

I don't think this is actually happening anywhere.

No.

Standard grade had the two-element part of the assessment, plus any internally assesses elements.

Internal sections were too easy to fiddle (pupil's internal is a grade 1, yet nowhere near that for exams).

Having two elements in the assessment disadvantaged those who were strong at learning but could not problem solve.

There were also cases of pupils with a 1 & 2 giving them an overall 1 and thinking they could do higher.

I reckon many will be doing this already, some in S2 with their top sections.

This sort of shit is explicitly forbidden from on high in West Lothian. If this isn't what is happening elsewhere our kids are being disadvantaged come the exams.

[Kilbowie's Finest]

It was meant to be a broad based curriculum until the end of S3, then you narrow down your selection for exams.

I don't think this is actually happening anywhere.

No.

Standard grade had the two-element part of the assessment, plus any internally assesses elements.

Internal sections were too easy to fiddle (pupil's internal is a grade 1, yet nowhere near that for exams).

Having two elements in the assessment disadvantaged those who were strong at learning but could not problem solve.

There were also cases of pupils with a 1 & 2 giving them an overall 1 and thinking they could do higher.

I reckon many will be doing this already, some in S2 with their top sections.

Maybe Standard Grade in your own subject area was flawed but in my own ( History ) it was pretty fair and I think a fairly good preparation for Higher . We used to have end of unit assessments that we used regularly and by and large the results reflected the ability of the students concerned

[Kilbowie's Finest]

This sort of shit is explicitly forbidden from on high in West Lothian. If this isn't what is happening elsewhere our kids are being disadvantaged come the exams.

West Lothian are very good at that Wullie !! Look at their attitude towards the forthcoming referendum in schools!!!!

[parsforlife]

There were also cases of pupils with a 1 & 2 giving them an overall 1 and thinking they could do higher.

.

Which surely isn't a problem?

Seems harsh to only have pupils that got a 1 at SG only sitting higher. At my school it was certainly for those that got a 2 and that wasn't really a problem, I along with a quite a few others had a 2 in SG and went and got an A in higher, I think the big huge gap that was meant to exist wasn't really true.

[It Was Just Banter]

Higher History- A

Higher Modern Studies- A

Higher Computing- A

Higher English- B

Into 2 Maths- A

No' too bad at all.

An excellent set of results.

I was one mark off an A in higher history. Pretty fucking gutted, tbh.

[Kilbowie's Finest]

Which surely isn't a problem?

Seems harsh to only have pupils that got a 1 at SG only sitting higher. At my school it was certainly for those that got a 2 and that wasn't really a problem, I along with a quite a few others had a 2 in SG and went and got an A in higher, I think the big huge gap that was meant to exist wasn't really true.

Two years ago I had two girls in my Higher Class who got 3s at Standard Grade - they both passed the Higher- one with a B one with a C. In smaller schools like mine you can't be overly picky or you won't get a Higher class!!

[Fudge]

This sort of shit is explicitly forbidden from on high in West Lothian. If this isn't what is happening elsewhere our kids are being disadvantaged come the exams.

They really are. I took 2 years to do the course in real detail, finished up in early March and so they got a good solid 5 weeks of in class studying before going on study leave.

[Kilbowie's Finest]

Started my N5 History course with my class on 20th May and they will sit their exam on Friday 1st May 2015 - better get my skates on !!!!!!

[Fotbawmad]

The appeals system seems really unfair to me. The school you come from seems to play a big role if you're appeal is successful or not. Usually because of the assumption of needing it to get into university.

[David W]

The appeals system seems really unfair to me. The school you come from seems to play a big role if you're appeal is successful or not. Usually because of the assumption of needing it to get into university.

There isn't any appeals system now. You can either apply to have your exam re-marked (which tonnes of kids are asking for even if they were 10 marks away from a different grade!), or put forward evidence if you miss the final exam due to illness/bereavement etc.

Your point is nonsense anyway. I teach at one of the top schools in Scotland and our appeal success was not great at all.

[WFAANW]

There isn't any appeals system now. You can either apply to have your exam re-marked (which tonnes of kids are asking for even if they were 10 marks away from a different grade!), or put forward evidence if you miss the final exam due to illness/bereavement etc.

Your point is nonsense anyway. I teach at one of the top schools in Scotland and our appeal success was not great at all.

[AyrshireTon]

Few points from previous posts -

Standard Grade was better for some subjects than others. The ability to create a much higher grade in the internal aspect than the candidates ever got in the exam lead to it being ditched in mine. One centre was even caught for dictating the correct solutions to their class.

I accept that in some subjects a grade 3 could turn into a higher pass, for a variety of reasons.

In my subject the analysis showed a fair drop in the number of higher passes (all grades) from those who got a 1 to those who got a 2. The problem solving aspect was usually the telling one. Not trying to generalise - many As have come from 2s. I don't think I've worked in any department who would allow a 3 to go and try higher (except over 2 years if they had been through the Credit course), but this was likely not the case (in the restrictive sense) for other subjects.

Appeals - these relied on the quality of the prelim being of exactly the same standard as the exams were. This is very difficult to achieve, and even commercially produced ones often don't meet the criteria. If the SQA could find any flaw, however minor, in a prelim then the appeal would be denied. Someone once remarked to me (somewhat cynically) that after one particular exam year in their subject, pupils taught by the setters seemed to get the majority of successful appeals.

The new remarking thing means you can go down as well as up.

[parsforlife]

Whilst there is an obvious drop off between those that achieved a 1 rather than a 2 it's ridiculous to suggest that somebody that achieved a 1 through the "wrong" way shouldn't be sitting higher. I achieved a 2 by the skin of my teeth in english and that was boosted by my talking grade. I was placed in an int 2/higher mixed class with others who were in a similar position. The vast majority were put forward for the higher exam. You mention problem solving, but is the grade at SG the best way of doing this?

I really don't think anyone with a 2 in any subject should be/have been denied a shot at higher regardless of how it was achieved.

Seems like a cowards way of avoiding having a failure on their record. We know a 3 can be made into a pass and whilst that isn't ideal if the school believe the person was unfortunate in getting that grade and aren't really much behind their credit grade achieving classmates I don't think it's right to hold that person back, if the potential is there then there isn't much reason not to at least give them a chance.

[AyrshireTon]

I don't recall anyone being denied a chance of doing higher having gotten a 2. It would have been pointed out to them that with a 2 their chances of success would not be as great.

English (for example) is a skills based subject. You develop and improve these as you go through the course. A grade 3 does not preclude sitting higher as the skills will have been learned during S3-4.

Science based subjects are content based - a grade 3 obtained from having done the General course, but not Credit, cannot lead onto higher as a whole chunk of course will not have been taught. A Credit candidate having only obtained a 3 has not fully understood the course and would be likely to struggle in higher.