Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

Life after Ag.Science...

13»

Comments

  • #62
    rainbowtrout
    Registered Users Posts: 15,381 ✭✭✭✭rainbowtrout


    user12 wrote: »
    So basically the silage and grass project is only worth 15% of the over project mark?

    What percentage fail Ag Science do you think?

    Dunno off the top of my head, the stats will be on examinations.ie or education.ie


  • #63
    Fete
    Registered Users Posts: 61 ✭✭Fete


    Question 1 was horrible I agree. The rest was very random but I didn't think it too bad (though I admit the cow question didn't seem to make much sense).
    I only knew things like polyploidy etc thanks to biology.
    I'm hoping for a B anyway.


  • #64
    Humphrey.Jones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭Humphrey.Jones


    Hi everyone. I would just like to point out that, as a teacher, I am also appalled by yesterday's higher level exam. I have written about it on the Frog Blog (www.frogblog.ie) and I have also written to the chief examiner for agricultural science, Ged McGuire, about how poorly this exam reflected the syllabus. It is both unfair to pupils and teachers alike. See www.frogblog.ie for more.


  • #65
    repeat92
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 31 ✭repeat92


    this exam was actually a disaster.. i was hoping for an A1.. all that hard work went out the window the minute i opened the paper.. it was really unfair because it not reflect the ability of some of us students that worked hard all year around.. i did all the exam questions studied the book and the revise wise but sadly that was not enough.. id be lucky to get a high C.. at least i went in with 24% in the project


  • #66
    Seloth
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,039 ✭✭✭Seloth


    Erm you know the Maize question?

    Well I saw how rainbowtrout said you'd need a agricultural background to guess that...I am and I did hah but DOnt know ;/

    I said it was high in protein and cheaper n stuff...would that be correct.


    Honestly I've heard 4 maybe 5 say they thought the test was ok....everyone else mortified.


  • Advertisement
  • #67
    screwedover
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭screwedover


    that exam was a absolute disgrace it did not reflact all the hard work us students have done over the last 2 years..i was hoping for an a or high b,i had worked so hard but that exam has turned verything upside down and will be the cause of having 2 repeat..my teacher said after the exxam there was stuff on the paper that she couldnt answer and shes been teachn the subject a long time,the people who set that paper should be ashamed..


  • #68
    simbathelion
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14 ✭simbathelion


    Really fed up reading all the posts on the Ag. Science aftermath and seems no one thought the paper was ok. If they keep this type of exam up, no one will want to take on the subject for the Leaving as it will be impossible to get a high grade, and wouldn't you think that us being an agricultural country that if anything they should be promoting the subject even marketing it, they are so keen to keep us with the ole gaelige surely be to God they can look over this subject and see where they have it wrong. Some of my friends were not offered Ag. Science in their schools as there was not an ag. science teacher to teach it, so they took it up as an extra subject after school, and now their general consensus is that it was such a waste, never saw such Disillusionment its sad. It must be even more frustrating for all the Ag. Science teachers out there.


  • #69
    shi7zman
    Registered Users Posts: 19 ✭shi7zman


    simbathelion wrote: »
    Really fed up reading all the posts on the Ag. Science aftermath and seems no one thought the paper was ok. If they keep this type of exam up, no one will want to take on the subject for the Leaving as it will be impossible to get a high grade, and wouldn't you think that us being an agricultural country that if anything they should be promoting the subject even marketing it, they are so keen to keep us with the ole gaelige surely be to God they can look over this subject and see where they have it wrong. Some of my friends were not offered Ag. Science in their schools as there was not an ag. science teacher to teach it, so they took it up as an extra subject after school, and now their general consensus is that it was such a waste, never saw such Disillusionment its sad. It must be even more frustrating for all the Ag. Science teachers out there.

    very well said. having come from a farming background i thought id be rewarded for practical experience... not here though. i did genetics in bio nd never hav i struggled in a question as i did in that ag question.
    the sooner the syllabus changes the better!! im rele dissapointed with that exam as some of the topics iv never heard of!!
    All the other science subjects syllabuses have changed, maths is changin its about time ag followed suit!!!!


  • #70
    Humphrey.Jones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭Humphrey.Jones


    shi7zman wrote: »
    very well said. having come from a farming background i thought id be rewarded for practical experience... not here though. i did genetics in bio nd never hav i struggled in a question as i did in that ag question.
    the sooner the syllabus changes the better!! im rele dissapointed with that exam as some of the topics iv never heard of!!
    All the other science subjects syllabuses have changed, maths is changin its about time ag followed suit!!!!

    A new syllabus had been produced, over 10 years ago. It's sitting in some filing cabinet immune NCCA waiting for approval. When it is eventually approved it willbe already out of date. I am extremely frustrated as a teacher of this subject.

    On a positive note, I have heard from loads of teachers that will be marking this year's exam and they are furious and will be urging the Chief Examiner to remove the controversial questions.


  • #71
    tomo 55
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭tomo 55


    Queetion ! must be marked out of the best 5 instead of best6, it is the fairest way for all students.


  • Advertisement
  • #72
    Healium
    Registered Users Posts: 1,586 ✭✭✭Healium


    tomo 55 wrote: »
    Queetion ! must be marked out of the best 5 instead of best6, it is the fairest way for all students.
    I imagine that they'll just adjust the marking scheme for certain questions. You could say that this would be easy marks for anyone who did the controversial questions. I avoided all the controversial questions to do questions that I wasn't fully confident in :/ Thought I could bank on genetics....

    Your way seems fairer, but I don't see it happening.


  • #73
    randylonghorn
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 29,509 Mod ✭✭✭✭randylonghorn


    Humphrey.Jones wrote: »
    ... and will be urging the Chief Examiner to remove the controversial questions.
    How could they remove them though?

    Some people will have answered, and answered creditably, and voiding those answers doesn't sound very fair.

    Something like dividing the available marks between the best 3 rather than 4 answers in Q. 9, for example, might work better / be fairer.


  • #74
    rainbowtrout
    Registered Users Posts: 15,381 ✭✭✭✭rainbowtrout


    randylonghorn wrote: »
    How could they remove them though?

    Some people will have answered, and answered creditably, and voiding those answers doesn't sound very fair.

    Something like dividing the available marks between the best 3 rather than 4 answers in Q. 9, for example, might work better / be fairer.

    I'm curious to see how the marking scheme will work myself. In previous years (not in ag science) I have seen marks awarded automatically for a part of a question if it wasn't on the syllabus and if a student attempted any part of the question they got the marks for the part that shouldn't be there.

    So for example that question 9, is five parts to do four, 12 marks each and part (a) on abbatoirs was something that wasn't on the syllabus. So realistically anyone who attempted Q9 at all would get 12 marks for part (a) regardless of whether or not they did the part because they attempted the question.

    However - that's not to say this exam will be dealt with in this way. I can't see it happening because where do you draw the line. All other subjects have very clear cut boundaries on what is to be asked/not asked. The other problem here is that the syllabus is not very detailed so while there are some parts of the exam which are clearly not on the syllabus, there are others where it's not so clear cut and it's more a case that past exam papers have set a precedence where that topic has not ever been asked.

    This goes back to my point that the exam should not be shaping the syllabus.

    For arguments sake : silage is on the syllabus, cereals are on the syllabus so a tenuous argument could be made in favour of the maize silage question. However maize was not grown in this country when the syllabus was written and is not examined as a crop. Silage is taken to be grass silage and not maize silage so precedence and standard practice would deem this question unfair and not complying with the syllabus. It's a hard one to call really.


  • #75
    Humphrey.Jones
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭Humphrey.Jones


    Well said!


  • #76
    user12
    Registered Users Posts: 115 ✭✭user12


    rainbowtrout wrote: »
    I'm curious to see how the marking scheme will work myself. In previous years (not in ag science) I have seen marks awarded automatically for a part of a question if it wasn't on the syllabus and if a student attempted any part of the question they got the marks for the part that shouldn't be there.

    So for example that question 9, is five parts to do four, 12 marks each and part (a) on abbatoirs was something that wasn't on the syllabus. So realistically anyone who attempted Q9 at all would get 12 marks for part (a) regardless of whether or not they did the part because they attempted the question.

    However - that's not to say this exam will be dealt with in this way. I can't see it happening because where do you draw the line. All other subjects have very clear cut boundaries on what is to be asked/not asked. The other problem here is that the syllabus is not very detailed so while there are some parts of the exam which are clearly not on the syllabus, there are others where it's not so clear cut and it's more a case that past exam papers have set a precedence where that topic has not ever been asked.

    This goes back to my point that the exam should not be shaping the syllabus.

    For arguments sake : silage is on the syllabus, cereals are on the syllabus so a tenuous argument could be made in favour of the maize silage question. However maize was not grown in this country when the syllabus was written and is not examined as a crop. Silage is taken to be grass silage and not maize silage so precedence and standard practice would deem this question unfair and not complying with the syllabus. It's a hard one to call really.

    So Rainbowtrout,whats your overall opinion on the Ag Science exam?

    Do you think the exam will be marked easier,harder,the same?
    Will marks be giving for attempting question etc?

    No one is happy with it!!


  • #77
    rainbowtrout
    Registered Users Posts: 15,381 ✭✭✭✭rainbowtrout


    user12 wrote: »
    So Rainbowtrout,whats your overall opinion on the Ag Science exam?

    Do you think the exam will be marked easier,harder,the same?
    Will marks be giving for attempting question etc?

    No one is happy with it!!

    If you read back a few posts I've given my opinion on quite a number of the controversial questions and as I've said in the post above I'm curious to see how it's marked. It's impossible to say otherwise until the conference and also until the standard of answers given is ascertained.


  • #78
    0.M.GXX
    Closed Accounts Posts: 50 ✭✭0.M.GXX


    SO upset about that exam... i was going for an A1 or an A2.. but it looks like i wont be getting it now.. so unfaIR considering i have worked so hard for the lasst 2 years and i got interviewed with my project by an examiner and he said he would be shocked if i didnt get an A..

    but after that paper i would be lucky to get a B!
    so unfair that they could set a paper like that,, is there anyone we (us the students , who have worked so hard can complain to.) that Ged McGuire, chief examiner for agricultural science had some cheek setting a paper like that ,when parts of the questions werent even on the course and the english was so poor.that us studets couldnt comprend it is so unfair considering every marks matter for points this yearmad.gif.


    utterly unfair..!


  • #79
    tomo 55
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭tomo 55


    curious to know how the marking was fixed.......


  • #80
    Healium
    Registered Users Posts: 1,586 ✭✭✭Healium


    tomo 55 wrote: »
    curious to know how the marking was fixed.......
    Go back a page :p


  • #81
    randylonghorn
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 29,509 Mod ✭✭✭✭randylonghorn


    tomo 55 wrote: »
    curious to know how the marking was fixed.......
    You won't know any detail until the marking schemes are published, I'm afraid.

    Some interesting posts above, certainly.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement