A-Levels Ireland

The Walsho

Oh just go away with your bloody A-levels. *resists urge to make a-hole joke*

Mockatron

Duly noted Piste!!!

All this fuss regarding English Paper 2 being leaked today is exactly why the A-Levels should be more widely available to students in this country. What happened today is an absolute disgrace and the State Examinations Commission should be ashamed. I do feel sorry for the Supervisor though. It was inevitable to happen one day. HE SHOULD NOT BE SACKED. Those contingency papers should have been secretly sent out. I mean the SEC had all day!!!

But to keep to point... todays happenings is precisely why the A-Levels should be a real alternative to exam students in the Republic of Ireland. I say well done to The <People I keep pimping> for in a way, rebelling against a tired system.

All Universities/IT's accept them so why not make them an alternative. As Barack Obama has said many a time 'We need CHANGE'

Leaving Cert out!!!
A-Levels in!!!

Fad

Mockatron wrote: »

Crap

AFAIK

You would also have to do GCSEs to get in to college in either Ireland or the UK.

You do one system or the other, not both .

Mockatron

You're wrong Fad

Just check out the <People I keep pimping> website. You have to have your Junior Cert before you can take the A-Levels. Its all there on their website.

<People I keep pimping> is the only A-Level accredited school in the whole of Ireland. They even let people who study A-Levels at home sit their exams there at the low low price of EUR 65 per subject. Isn't that around the same price as the LC?

65x3 is only EUR 195. Not bad at all

Fad

Mockatron wrote: »

You're wrong Fad

Just check out the <People I keep pimping> website. You have to have your Junior Cert before you can take the A-Levels. Its all there on their website.

<People I keep pimping> is the only A-Level accredited school in the whole of Ireland. They even let people who study A-Levels at home sit their exams there at the low low price of EUR 65 per subject. Isn't that around the same price as the LC?

65x3 is only EUR 195. Not bad at all

And tuition?

One of the Collison Brothers (The older one) mentioned something about not being able to get into an Irish/UK college cos he did the A-levels.

KeyLimePie

Mockatron wrote: »

Duly noted Piste!!!

All this fuss regarding English Paper 2 being leaked today is exactly why the A-Levels should be more widely available to students in this country. What happened today is an absolute disgrace and the State Examinations Commission should be ashamed. I do feel sorry for the Supervisor though. It was inevitable to happen one day. HE SHOULD NOT BE SACKED. Those contingency papers should have been secretly sent out. I mean the SEC had all day!!!

But to keep to point... todays happenings is precisely why the A-Levels should be a real alternative to exam students in the Republic of Ireland. I say well done to The <People I keep pimping> for in a way, rebelling against a tired system.

All Universities/IT's accept them so why not make them an alternative. As Barack Obama has said many a time 'We need CHANGE'

Leaving Cert out!!!
A-Levels in!!!

.....................................this hasn't happened since 1969 I don't think it one incident should call for a total upheaval of the system !

A-Levels are flouncey and a waste of time.
Leaving cert is a true academic exam.
People copy us not the other way around.

challengemaster

He's brittish....just leave him be. Logic won't work.:pac:


(Note, tongue in cheek comment - my dad is brittish and I'm half-brit!)

tolosenc

Leaving Cert should be revamped, IMO. Irish + English or Maths + 3 others. Studied in much greater detail.

superLeetive

The A Levels are the British school leaving state examinations and the Leaving Certificate is the Irish equivalent. We can't just decide to adopt another country's state examinations. You should instead be suggesting that we adapt ours to be more like the A-Levels, it would be still be called the Leaving Certificate.

Anyway the Leaving Certificate is way better. Studies have shown that students who complete the LC have a broader knowledge range etc. than students who complete the A Levels. Also, students who go through the Irish education system as a whole have higher literacy and numeracy levels than students who go through the British equivalent. All you have to do is take a look at the results of Pisa's 2006 study, Ireland had the sixth highest reading level where as the UK had the 17th!

ordinary_girl

Here's the CAO points for A-Levels:

How do my A-level grades compare to points?
For entry in 2011, A-level and AS grades are compared with the Irish Leaving Certificate grades based on the indicative points equivalencies below.
A2
Points

AS

Points

A*
150


A
135

A

65

B
120

B

60

C
100

C

50

D
75

D

35

E
40

E

20

*Taken from the UCD website

Pidge96

In A levels they change the grade percentages every year, so an A* mark one year could be an A another? Sounds too dicey for me. Plus at least in the Leaving you're certain of what target you need, and have a better education with more subjects anyways..:pac:

Ms Tootsie

Firstly anyone who things A-levels are a doozie is completely deluded.

Speaking as someone who has sat A-Levels I can tell you they are really intense and a hell of a lot of work, the detail in each of your three subjects is university standard. Secondly I knew no-one who did such subjects as drama, philosophy etc. I did English, History, Sociology and Business Studies so anyone who is under the illusion that you can sail through A-Levels on 'subjects' like drama and philosophy is also wrong. My university course required a minimum of 3-As and I am pretty sure if I went to the university and told them I had an A in drama I would be laughed out of the place. Also for any med / nursins courses you have to study the sciences at A-level to prepare you for the course subjects in university.

To be honest I would compare the Leaving Cert as closer to the GCSE's in Northern Ireland where a minimum of one language is compulsory, along with a science, maths, and English. At GCSE you can do between 7 and 10 subjects and you cover them in similar detail to the Leaving Cert and the age profile is pretty similar, 16.


Most people sit their A- Levels at 18 compared to the Leaving Cert age which is mainly 17.

As for the Junior Cert is is similar to an exam system in the north of Ireland called the (funnily enough) the Junior Cert as well. Your ability on this exam determines your level at GCSE.

I honestly can say my A-Levels prepared me much better for university than my southern counterparts. In a course with a business base I would fully equipped for not only the course content but the workload. A lot of my classmates who came from Leaving Cert level had to spread their time in school over the 7 subjects rather than the 3/4 at A Level and so were not given the opportunity to study a particular subject at the depth that was required.

The system in the north of Ireland is much more complex and allows students to identify their strengths and weaknesses at Junior Cert and GCSE level before moving on to study their strenght subjects more indepth at A-Level.

Neither system is pefect and lacks any kind of understanding or compassion for students who struggle with mastering text books and writing essays but for those who are under the illusion that studying three or four sujects is easier you seem to be forgetting that you guys have two exams Junior Cert and Leaving Cert. In the north we have four - Junior Cter, GCSE, AS Levels and A Levels.

finality

kaza2710 wrote: »

Firstly anyone who things A-levels are a doozie is completely deluded.

Speaking as someone who has sat A-Levels I can tell you they are really intense and a hell of a lot of work, the detail in each of your three subjects is university standard. Secondly I knew no-one who did such subjects as drama, philosophy etc. I did English, History, Sociology and Business Studies so anyone who is under the illusion that you can sail through A-Levels on 'subjects' like drama and philosophy is also wrong. My university course required a minimum of 3-As and I am pretty sure if I went to the university and told them I had an A in drama I would be laughed out of the place. Also for any med / nursins courses you have to study the sciences at A-level to prepare you for the course subjects in university.

To be honest I would compare the Leaving Cert as closer to the GCSE's in Northern Ireland where a minimum of one language is compulsory, along with a science, maths, and English. At GCSE you can do between 7 and 10 subjects and you cover them in similar detail to the Leaving Cert and the age profile is pretty similar, 16.


Most people sit their A- Levels at 18 compared to the Leaving Cert age which is mainly 17.

As for the Junior Cert is is similar to an exam system in the north of Ireland called the (funnily enough) the Junior Cert as well. Your ability on this exam determines your level at GCSE.

I honestly can say my A-Levels prepared me much better for university than my southern counterparts. In a course with a business base I would fully equipped for not only the course content but the workload. A lot of my classmates who came from Leaving Cert level had to spread their time in school over the 7 subjects rather than the 3/4 at A Level and so were not given the opportunity to study a particular subject at the depth that was required.

The system in the north of Ireland is much more complex and allows students to identify their strengths and weaknesses at Junior Cert and GCSE level before moving on to study their strenght subjects more indepth at A-Level.

Neither system is pefect and lacks any kind of understanding or compassion for students who struggle with mastering text books and writing essays but for those who are under the illusion that studying three or four sujects is easier you seem to be forgetting that you guys have two exams Junior Cert and Leaving Cert. In the north we have four - Junior Cter, GCSE, AS Levels and A Levels.

Having more exams means nothing.

And I can't believe you would compare the leaving cert to GCSEs, the difference is huge. Having a similar number of subjects doesn't mean the level of difficulty is the same. I did 10 subjects for the junior cert and am doing 8 for the leaving - if I don't count cspe, that's a difference of one subject. It would be laughable to say that the junior cert and leaving cert are of similar levels just because of this, so how can you compare the leaving cert and GCSEs on that basis?

I've looked at GCSE exam papers and they're definitely more similar to the junior cert.

As for A-levels, while some of them are definitely broader than their leaving cert counterparts, I had a look at a German A-level paper and to me it honestly seems easier than the leaving cert. Even maths - there are A level papers I could get full marks in, though yes, there are papers which examine material I've never seen before. I'm just saying, the exam isn't a HUGE amount more difficult.

And as far as I know the average age of a leaving cert student is actually 18, not 17. I've always been one of the younger students in my year, and I was 18 in February. I'd say roughly 7 out of around 80 students in my year are under 18.

I'm not even a fan of the leaving cert, I would prefer to study 4 subjects in greater detail to be honest. I just think your post was uninformed, and to compare the leaving cert to GCSEs... I can't get over that.

FaoiSin

GCSEs similar to the Leaving Cert... Nowhere near :P

reznov

HA! The A-Levels. Please, the unwarranted humour is forcing me to choke with laughter.

I've revision books from A-level examinations, have completed several exam papers and also possess an A Level biology and chemistry book. A couple of topics are studied in depth, but there is no broad spectrum of study. Sure, it may at first seem "harder", but in reality, it is easier as the brain operates on the basis of association. Learning in depth about less topics is much easier to memorise as everything is associated.
Studying 7 or sometimes 8 subjects as opposed to 3-4 will always be much more difficult due to time management both in and out of school.

Maths at A Level is below that of LC HL. Geometry doesn't even exist on the A Level course. I wouldn't give A Level Maths 150 points, let alone 100.

finality

http://yelblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/22/leaving-cert-vs-a-levels/

FaoiSin

finality wrote: »

http://yelblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/22/leaving-cert-vs-a-levels/

I find it hard to trust a person who got a B in LC French

reznov

YeaaahFaoiSin wrote: »

I find it hard to trust a person who got a B in LC French

I don't trust anybody who obtains less than 6 A1s in the LC.

Stalin and rugby

YeaaahFaoiSin wrote: »

I find it hard to trust a person who got a B in LC French

I find it hard to trust a person who doesn't trust a person who got a B who himself has not yet sat the exam thus having no grade which in comparison to a B is worse I say..

Stalin and rugby

reznov wrote: »

HA! The A-Levels. Please, the unwarranted humour is forcing me to choke with laughter.

I've revision books from A-level examinations, have completed several exam papers and also possess an A Level biology and chemistry book. A couple of topics are studied in depth, but there is no broad spectrum of study. Sure, it may at first seem "harder", but in reality, it is easier as the brain operates on the basis of association. Learning in depth about less topics is much easier to memorise as everything is associated.
Studying 7 or sometimes 8 subjects as opposed to 3-4 will always be much more difficult due to time management both in and out of school.

Maths at A Level is below that of LC HL. Geometry doesn't even exist on the A Level course. I wouldn't give A Level Maths 150 points, let alone 100.

If you have read A lvl chem and bio for the crack then you being 6 foot 5 is a lie. Mind blown

ChemHickey

reznov wrote: »

YeaaahFaoiSin wrote: »

I find it hard to trust a person who got a B in LC French

I don't trust anybody who obtains less than 6 A1s in the LC.

You said 8 a1's wrong.

reznov

Stalin and rugby wrote: »

If you have read A lvl chem and bio for the crack then you being 6 foot 5 is a lie. Mind blown

For the crack? I'm sitting the LC

finality

Stalin and rugby wrote: »

If you have read A lvl chem and bio for the crack then you being 6 foot 5 is a lie. Mind blown

Jesus. They put crack in A-level textbooks!?

reznov

finality wrote: »

Jesus. They put crack in A-level textbooks!?

Why did you think they were popular with students?! Ease of examination? Nope. Ease of hallucination.

Stalin and rugby

finality wrote: »

Jesus. They put crack in A-level textbooks!?

Regardless of whether they do or not I'm still obsessing over the fact that our good man rez is 6 foot 5. So jealous

FaoiSin

Won't be sitting LC French. The language wasn't enough of a challenge. Polish is more my style.

reznov

YeaaahFaoiSin wrote: »

Won't be sitting LC French. The language wasn't enough of a challenge. Polish is more my style.

That's the spirit. I'm contemplating on taking up all of the languages Available right now. May get an A1 in a few with two weeks study. :cool:

reznov

Stalin and rugby wrote: »

Regardless of whether they do or not I'm still obsessing over the fact that our good man rez is 6 foot 5. So jealous

Genetic engineering is an option for you.

Stalin and rugby

reznov wrote: »

Genetic engineering is an option for you.

If only the pay was any good..

FaoiSin

reznov wrote: »

That's the spirit. I'm contemplating on taking up all of the languages Available right now. May get an A1 in a few with two weeks study. :cool:

I recommend Greek