{"id":8258,"date":"2020-09-04T12:19:05","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T11:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8258"},"modified":"2020-09-04T12:19:05","modified_gmt":"2020-09-04T11:19:05","slug":"a-level-grades-no-one-cares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8258","title":{"rendered":"A Level Grades, No One Cares"},"content":{"rendered":"

PLAY HARD, WORK HARD<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Let Down <\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Walking into school two years ago to retrieve my A Level results was terrifying.<\/p>\n

Worrying whether I\u2019d done enough in exams and coursework to gain the results that would get me into my university of choice is unlike anything I\u2019d experienced at that point. My results were the be-all and end-all of my life at that point.<\/p>\n

The truth is that A Levels mean nothing once they get you to your next step.<\/p>\n

I know that probably isn\u2019t what students want to hear if they\u2019re now getting their results, but honestly? Bar maybe someone asking you out of curiosity in conversation about your A Level grades, no one cares. Truly. It\u2019s incredibly rare that it comes up.<\/p>\n

I spent the last two years of my school career putting all of my faith into my results. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I don\u2019t regret it – it got me to my uni of choice and now I\u2019ve achieved far more than I anticipated two years on. But as we have nothing comparable, we\u2019re told that these exams will be something that is linked to us for the rest of our lives.<\/p>\n

Again, I\u2019m not saying your A Levels don\u2019t matter and that you shouldn\u2019t put in the effort. For one, most university degrees have essays similar to those you write at A Level; your grades still go on your CV (although from my experience, the A Level results on your CV are only helpful if your subjects are relevant to the job you\u2019re applying for).<\/p>\n

I am saying, however, that perhaps we put too much emphasis on A Levels. Of course, we must encourage students to do well, but apart from getting you into university or getting you to your next stage of life, A Levels don\u2019t mean much.<\/p>\n

I remember thinking that once I went to uni, it would be as though my A Level grades would be tattooed to my forehead and that everyone would judge my worth based of the grades. I had this recurring dream that lecturers would split you based on your A Levels.<\/p>\n

It seems ridiculous – I\u2019m aware. Yet, that was how it was for years. It\u2019s how it continues to be. A Levels are advertised as the be-all and end-all of a teenagers\u2019 life. It isn\u2019t that A Levels aren\u2019t important, but the amount of pressure we put on the results can put enormous amounts of pressure on students.<\/p>\n

I can only imagine therefore how students feel this year. With an algorithm created due to an unprecedented global pandemic, thousands have been left disappointed. Students in lower socioeconomic backgrounds have been impacted, and the unfair algorithm has left many without a place at university.<\/p>\n

I realise we can\u2019t give each student an A*, yet this algorithm seems flawed. Regardless of this – we\u2019re in a global pandemic, give the kids a break! Although I wasn\u2019t thrilled with my results, I\u2019m certain I would have lost my place at university had I been impacted by this algorithm.<\/p>\n

Yet, I had a part to play in my own success. I had exams and essays to base my grades off. For students this year, they\u2019ve put their faith into a system which\u00a0seems to have failed them. If you\u2019re basing your entire future on your A Level results, having the outcome be entirely out of your hands must be incredibly difficult.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t give all students A*s. You shouldn\u2019t be able to penalise students based on factors they can\u2019t change. It\u2019s a global pandemic where the governments across the UK have stopped students from sitting exams. If the grades are uncommon this year, so be it. This year itself has been uncommon.<\/p>\n

Equally, you can\u2019t downgrade students from a lower socioeconomic background if you\u2019re not downgrading students from Eton and Harrow. It\u2019s hardly fair to claim the algorithm is the fairest way of calculating results if you\u2019re penalising students from being from poorer areas.<\/p>\n

Although the Welsh Government attempted to remedy the situation before results day by exam board WJEC suggesting that students would not receive grades lower than that they received at AS, there\u2019s no doubt the damage has been done.<\/p>\n

Governments across the United Kingdom have since changed their decisions and have decided that A Level students will now have their grades based on teacher predictions.<\/p>\n

But what does that mean for students who lost out on their place at university the first time around?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m glad they\u2019ve changed their minds, but it\u2019s partially a matter of too little too late. It all feels a bit chaotic. What happens to universities trying to accommodate the students who\u2019ve had their grades changed?<\/p>\n

It seems unfair for all involved. Although the algorithm was well-intentioned, it\u2019s left a wave of confusion in its wake, which will undoubtedly have a profound effect on many.<\/p>\n

In a year filled with inconsistencies and flash decisions, it\u2019s no wonder many would be left disappointed by the government\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Tirion Davies<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PLAY HARD, WORK HARD Let Down Walking into school two years ago to retrieve my A Level results was terrifying. Worrying whether I\u2019d done enough in exams and coursework to gain the results that would get me into my university of choice is unlike anything I\u2019d experienced at that point. My results were the be-all and end-all of my life […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[334,127,274],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-29c","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3240,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3240","url_meta":{"origin":8258,"position":0},"title":"A Guide to Year 12","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st May 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 And so the looming anxiety of exams re-emerges with a vengeance. For those doing GCSEs, trust me on this \u2013 A Levels are not easier \u2018because you\u2019re only doing four subjects\u2019. Four subjects, with just as much work as the sixteen or so I was taking last year. More\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2388,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=2388","url_meta":{"origin":8258,"position":1},"title":"Further Musings of A Political Teenager","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd February 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 PLAY HARD, WORK HARD 2016:- A Summary. Welcome to 2017! At the beginning of January 2016, I sat my first Year 11 GCSE exams which let\u2019s just say hadn\u2019t exactly gone to plan. I was too worried about my failure to gain my sought after marks in January that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3318,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3318","url_meta":{"origin":8258,"position":2},"title":"Songs for Teenagers","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th May 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"When you\u2019re barely 17 it\u2019s like the world seems to pass by in a blink of an eye. What feels like a few weeks ago becomes a year in Sixth Form land \u2013 and what feels like a year is only a matter of eternally long weeks. GCSE to A-Level\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4649,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4649","url_meta":{"origin":8258,"position":3},"title":"I Just Turned Eighteen","author":"Alan Williams","date":"26th May 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I just turned eighteen \u2013 and I mean just. But I don\u2019t \u2018feel\u2019 eighteen. I\u2019m not sure what it\u2019s supposed to feel like, but I\u2019m pretty sure I don\u2019t feel it\u2026 But turning eighteen has made me reminisce about the past eighteen years, and there are a few people I\u2019d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3785,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3785","url_meta":{"origin":8258,"position":4},"title":"There always needs to be a balance","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th September 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Last year, I wrote my first article for the What\u2019s On reviewing the balance of work and play. School\u2019s back in and suddenly this had become all the more relevant yet again. The dread and panic about this final year has yet again cropped up and I won\u2019t lie\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Miscellaneous"","block_context":{"text":"Miscellaneous","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=127"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7152,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7152","url_meta":{"origin":8258,"position":5},"title":"Happy New Year everyone!","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd February 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Happy New Year everyone! Since getting back into the flow of uni work, I\u2019ve come to realise recently that just maybe some of my work-life balances aren\u2019t as healthy as they probably should be. These days, I wouldn\u2019t dare submit an essay the day it\u2019s due \u2013 I\u2019m too worried\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8258"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8259,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8258\/revisions\/8259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}