Job Discussion Forums

[mozzar]

I'm not sure I completely agree. A mix of things may have come into play: improved teaching styles, an different emphasis to reflect the change in what is needed.

To say it was 'harder back in my day' sounds a little bitter. Especially when we consider that universities aren't restricted as much by a government's 'improve grades at all costs' mantra.

[nickpellatt]

LOL, bitter?? Moi??

What Im saying is the honours degree has been devalued. It used to be a higher degree that took four years of UK study. It now takes three. If you took a graphic designer degree at York 10 years ago, it was just a degree....if you did it now, with the same lecturers, over the same time...its now an honours degree. Is it the same degree? Possibly not ... is it harder? Again ... I would suggest, probably not.

At a lower level there are always questions about GCSE standards ... they often runs features or shows about it in the media...setting todays GCSE students O level questions of yesteryear ... which they normally fail miserably.

My experience is in failing exams when I was 16. I took Math at CSE (which was the 2nd tier exam back in my day). Although I was in the top set of classes at Math ... I was in the bottom section of said class....so everyone at my level and below took CSE rather than O level.

I passed with a grade 2. It was quite a tough exam from memory.

Modern qualifications for jobs require GCSE grade of 3 and above, or they will accept CSE grade 1 and O levels. My CSE grade 2 is worthless, and Im not bitter, but it was harder to get than a GCSE today.

Im 100% sure of this because last January I enrolled on a Government scheme that offered training and examinations in Math and English equivalency certificates with City & Guilds qualifications. The standard of which was an absolute joke ... it took about 4 hours of online practice ... and the final paper was dumbed down to such an extent that pi was approximated to 3 with use of decimal points not needed to score full marks.

Uk education is definately dumbed down ... and the standards required to pass exams today is lower than in yesteryear IMO. When I went through the education system it was only the elite that when on to higher education. I wanted to do A levels but was refused, and as in the example of my math class ... I was in the top sets for most subjects ....It really wass just the top ten % that went on. It wasnt just a class distinction ... it was also based on intelligence!

My son is taking A levels, he passed his GCSE last summer .... so I have seen the standard of work. His grades suggest he is a genius .... alas, he has the Pellatt genes making this impossible. Plus I play him at Scrabble and I now how poor some of his vocabulary and spelling is