Question about A-levels
 

This is really aimed at people still in the UK with kids of the appropriate age.

I have a son back in the UK. He's in his GCSE year and starting to think about A-levels. He seems to have a notion that is normal to do four. In my day it was three, unless you were very bright. Have things changed?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

My day ( 80's ) we did three plus General Studies A Level.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

From my understanding (limited and only from speaking to teenage relatives and neighbours), the norm these days is to start out studying 4 subjects, but to then drop your weakest one after AS level, so in essence you end up with 3.5 A levels (3 full A levels and 1 AS).

HTH.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

All grist to the mill. Thanks to both of you.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

But that was back when A levels were difficult;) I too did 3 A levels and I suspect Souvy is of a similar vintage.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

1963 was a good year.

When I did my maths O-level, you couldn't use a calculator. For the A-level (maths/statistics) you could but you still had to show the working. It was the same for the first two years of my degree.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Did they even have O levels in 1963?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

I seem to remember that we were allowed to use slide rules (though I'm damned if I could use one now). I also seem to remember that most of the marks were for the workings. You would fail if you just wrote down all the correct answers.

I took 3 A levels and 1 AS.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Not sure. I didn't sit them straight out of the womb. In fact, I didn't sit them until 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1982.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Slide rules? There's posh. I think we had log tables. I would not know what to do with one these days.

What you say reminds me of one infamous maths exam during my degree. It was a three-hour exam, based on one set of data that went through a series of analyses of increasing complexity involving lots of Greek letters. The end result was a single number, to two decimal places. There were only two possible marks on that test; 100% or 0%. You got no marks for the workings. Not many people got 100%.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Were you one of them?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Without putting too fine a point on it, WTF is the use in being able to do that?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

I know, only 2 decimal places. I mean really!

Re: Question about A-levels
 

I'll bet that answer was 3.14. That's a pretty famous maths number to 2 decimal places, I can't think of any others?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

2.72, or 1.62?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Next time you travel in a plane just consider whether or not the person who did the finite element analysis on the blades usually gets the correct answer!

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Are they famous enough to be the answers to a maths quiz?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

3 "big" A levels at my grammar. General studies as a fourth but only if the teachers thought you could cope with it. And I'm a late 1980's A level girl.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

All greek to me.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

They should be to maths people. I only got a richard and I know them.

Edit: One is e and the other is the golden ratio.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

I haven't heard that term for a long time. Might one ask where from?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Sure. I did maths at Southampton uni.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Just curious, I'm quite sure I would've done a richard in pure maths anywhere. I honestly believe its the most challenging undergraduate degree of them all.

I knew lots of kids who were whizzes at A level but couldn't deal with the conceptual/abstract/multidimensional thinking at uni.

I've mentioned that I'm a simple chemist.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Can you fill prescriptions?

Re: Question about A-levels
 

I believe you'll find that even on the Rock that is the prerogative of pharmacists.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

I recall I did five. My grades suggested I preferred quantity over quality. In one subject I received an O, which I always felt was a particularly patronising grade. I believe it indicated something akin to 15%.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

I did four, but in typical geek style they were maths, "additional maths," physics and chemistry. I was going to do English, French, German and Latin but reckoned that was just too much reading and essay-writing for one lazy sod to accomplish over two years. I took the S papers in maths and physics - not quite sure why, but it seemed sensible advice at the time from the teachers. All seemed a bit of a waste of time, since I'd already received an effectively unconditional offer after sitting university entrance exams, but if nothing else they did prepare somewhat for the level of maths required beyond the first term of undergraduate studies.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

My daughter doing A2 at a Sixth Form College and wanted to do four AS levels, but they told her she had to do five and was allowed to drop one for A2. We spoke to a friend who works at the college and he said it was so that the college could get full funding.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Geek style? That's pretty much what I did, except plus "S" levels in Physics & Chem on top.

Geek style? Well, really!!

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Well you, Sir, and I, Sir, are probably what would in these modern times be considered geeks. Despite all evidence to the contrary with your worldly ways and polyglot cosmopolitan lifestyle, your chosen profession is pretty much the definition of geekery in some people's eyes... ;)

My S-level papers were in maths and physics - didn't to chemistry S as it was my weaker subject and the powers that be suggested two Ss would suffice.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

My daughter did four plus general studies and some kind of extended project that was the equivalent of an AS I think.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

A geek, Sir, is someone who has never experienced, and is likely incapable of experiencing, the beautiful nuances of humanity and its varied cultures. One who's heart has never roared with desire and throbbed with sympathy for the downtrodden. A creature of pimples, slide rules, masturbation and numbing loneliness.

His A-levels are hardly relevant.

<you still on for Friday?>

Re: Question about A-levels
 

they have greasy hair - normally - too. I don't know where they get that from, other than eating bacon butties, masturbating and running their hands through their barnet.

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Bleeuugh... all at the same time? That would require a level of dexterity - or absent-mindedness - that I am grateful not to have achieved...

Re: Question about A-levels
 

Thats why they are geeks, they can do stuff like that <nods head>.