History A level to disappear..

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:57 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6932836.stm

presumbly making it a thing of the past?

Montreal Wanderer · Post by **Montreal Wanderer** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:00 pm

communistworkethic wrote:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6932836.stm

presumbly making it a thing of the past?

Ouch! And a double ouch for putting history, geography and modern languages at risk for things like media studies. Astonishing in this global village.

Daxter · Post by **Daxter** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:12 pm

I've chosen A-level History. And Media Studies is indeed a bit of a joke, I did it at GCSE and it was largely, a piece of piss.

bobo the clown · Post by **bobo the clown** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:44 pm

Daxter wrote:I've chosen A-level History. And Media Studies is indeed a bit of a joke, I did it at GCSE and it was largely, a piece of piss.

Only ... LARGELY ... ???

A piss-poor course, allowing piss-poor students to to frig-all as they purue their hope of attaining some fringe media job.

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:49 pm

I remember a load of my mates at school choosing PE as an option (and slagging me off for picking French instead). They all thought that they'd be playing footie all the time. Oh how I laughed when they all realised that they'd just signed up to two years worth of studying soil types and various injuries.

Athers · Post by **Athers** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:51 pm

History was compulsory at my school until GCSE, and right that is too.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:25 pm

Today's kids know little enough about history as it is (and care even less), without schools stopping teaching it. Another classic example of the present generation of rule makers being totally clueless.

Daxter · Post by **Daxter** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:35 pm

bobo the clown wrote:
Daxter wrote:I've chosen A-level History. And Media Studies is indeed a bit of a joke, I did it at GCSE and it was largely, a piece of piss.
Only ... LARGELY ... ???

A piss-poor course, allowing piss-poor students to to frig-all as they purue their hope of attaining some fringe media job.

Have you taken the course?

There are parts of the course that are challenging, some of the coursework and the actual exam itself. But for the most part is very easy.

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:53 pm

somehow dax, I doubt any of it is that challenging. I see the products of that qualification and frankly they're shoddy.

Daxter · Post by **Daxter** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:55 pm

communistworkethic wrote:somehow dax, I doubt any of it is that challenging. I see the products of that qualification and frankly they're shoddy.

I'm just saying it's all not a walk in the park. It is a crappy GCSE though, more of a joke course. That's why I decided against taking it at A-level because it has such a shocking reputation.

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:00 pm

Daxter wrote:
communistworkethic wrote:somehow dax, I doubt any of it is that challenging. I see the products of that qualification and frankly they're shoddy.
I'm just saying it's all not a walk in the park. It is a crappy GCSE though, more of a joke course. That's why I decided against taking it at A-level because it has such a shocking reputation.

a walk in the park would potential offer up more challenges - yappy dogs, narky geese, dogsh*t, flashers, doggers, hoodies, an amorous George Michael and so on

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:51 pm

bobo the clown wrote:
Daxter wrote:I've chosen A-level History. And Media Studies is indeed a bit of a joke, I did it at GCSE and it was largely, a piece of piss.
Only ... LARGELY ... ???

A piss-poor course, allowing piss-poor students to to frig-all as they pursue their hope of attaining some fringe media job.

Tis a shame. I did A level history and enjoyed every minute of it, especially the stuff on civil rights in America - fascinating. Plus I got to visit New York because of it

hope you enjoy it too Dax.

I will say though as I did A-level Media Studies as well that the notion it is a piece of piss is well off the mark. It does get a fair bit of flak it doesnt deserve. People seem to thing it is just sitting watching the telly/flicking through magazines and getting a grade. It's a bit more than that! The amount of analysis you had to carry out on some things made me never want to watch them again...though to be honest I had no intention of watching Bridget Jones, Dirty Dancing and Erin Brockovich in the first place if it hadnt been for college

For my coursework I had to plan, create, analyse and evaluate promo material for an up and coming band - flyers, photos, cd album cover and a 2 minute video. Doing drafts for flyers/posters/cd covers, filming on location in Manchester City Centre, editing everything on adobe photoshop/premiere. This could take up most of the term before actually getting around to the written part of the coursework, which was probably 5000words or summat like that.
Take the course and if you still think it is piss then fine, but don't try and tell me I worked for two years doing a piss-poor course if you haven't done it yourself. It is manageable definitely, but it is by no means a walk in the park.

You want a real piss-poor A-level? English language. that was an absolute steal.

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:56 pm

Verbal wrote:
bobo the clown wrote:
Daxter wrote:I've chosen A-level History. And Media Studies is indeed a bit of a joke, I did it at GCSE and it was largely, a piece of piss.
Only ... LARGELY ... ???

A piss-poor course, allowing piss-poor students to to frig-all as they pursue their hope of attaining some fringe media job.
Tis a shame. I did A level history and enjoyed every minute of it, especially the stuff on civil rights in America - fascinating. Plus I got to visit New York because of it hope you enjoy it too Dax.

I will say though as I did A-level Media Studies as well that the notion it is a piece of piss is well off the mark. It does get a fair bit of flak it doesnt deserve. People seem to thing it is just sitting watching the telly/flicking through magazines and getting a grade. It's a bit more than that! The amount of analysis you had to carry out on some things made me never want to watch them again...though to be honest I had no intention of watching Bridget Jones, Dirty Dancing and Erin Brockovich in the first place if it hadnt been for college
For my coursework I had to plan, create, analyse and evaluate promo material for an up and coming band - flyers, photos, cd album cover and a 2 minute video. Doing drafts for flyers/posters/cd covers, filming on location in Manchester City Centre, editing everything on adobe photoshop/premiere. This could take up most of the term before actually getting around to the written part of the coursework, which was probably 5000words or summat like that.
Take the course and if you still think it is piss then fine, but don't try and tell me I worked for two years doing a piss-poor course if you haven't done it yourself. It is manageable definitely, but it is by no means a walk in the park.

You want a real piss-poor A-level? English language. that was an absolute steal.

I will tell you it's a joke as I get Media Studies A level students and degree level too all the time and they haven't got a clue. They can't even write in English to start with. They could tell me how Ross in Friends is actually a repressed gay man or that some Japanese director is the dogs bollocks but they've got nowt of use in a proper job.

Daxter · Post by **Daxter** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:57 pm

Verbal wrote:
bobo the clown wrote:
Daxter wrote:I've chosen A-level History. And Media Studies is indeed a bit of a joke, I did it at GCSE and it was largely, a piece of piss.
Only ... LARGELY ... ???

A piss-poor course, allowing piss-poor students to to frig-all as they pursue their hope of attaining some fringe media job.
Tis a shame. I did A level history and enjoyed every minute of it, especially the stuff on civil rights in America - fascinating. Plus I got to visit New York because of it hope you enjoy it too Dax.

I will say though as I did A-level Media Studies as well that the notion it is a piece of piss is well off the mark. It does get a fair bit of flak it doesnt deserve. People seem to thing it is just sitting watching the telly/flicking through magazines and getting a grade. It's a bit more than that! The amount of analysis you had to carry out on some things made me never want to watch them again...though to be honest I had no intention of watching Bridget Jones, Dirty Dancing and Erin Brockovich in the first place if it hadnt been for college
For my coursework I had to plan, create, analyse and evaluate promo material for an up and coming band - flyers, photos, cd album cover and a 2 minute video. Doing drafts for flyers/posters/cd covers, filming on location in Manchester City Centre, editing everything on adobe photoshop/premiere. This could take up most of the term before actually getting around to the written part of the coursework, which was probably 5000words or summat like that.
Take the course and if you still think it is piss then fine, but don't try and tell me I worked for two years doing a piss-poor course if you haven't done it yourself. It is manageable definitely, but it is by no means a walk in the park.

You want a real piss-poor A-level? English language. that was an absolute steal.

Cheers, hopefully I will.

Fair point about media studies. I didn't like the look of it at A-level from what I've seen and I've heard that it is a poorly respected A-level. But I can understand what are saying about the amount of work you put in. Even at GCSE it is a fair amount. 4 long pieces of coursework, a 3 hour exam and you have to shoot and edit your own film trailer.

As long as you are creative and observent enough though it is fairly comfortable.

Marshall · Post by **Marshall** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:05 pm

The problem is that an A in A-level Media Studies is much easier to earn than, say, an A in Maths. And given that an A is worth 120 UCAS points (points needed to get into university) regardless of the subject, is it any wonder students are choosing these 'easier' subjects?

For instance, to study Geography at the University of Manchester you needed an AAB or ABB result. Knowing this, students will choose Geography, Media Studies and Psychology as it is much easier to attain higher grades and therefore get into a better standard university.

I think there lies the fundamental problem. I doubt anyone would argue that a subject like Physics is of the same difficulty as Media Studies. If they were to address this, then surely more students would choose to study the more 'classic' subjects.

And amen to whoever said English Language is a steal. So easy it's not even funny.

mummywhycantieatcrayons · Post by **mummywhycantieatcrayons** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:30 pm

Verbal wrote:You want a real piss-poor A-level? English language. that was an absolute steal.

Agreed. I took that along with History, Economics and Latin at A-level and it was a bit of joke.

Perhaps it's a positive thing that so many are put off taking history now, because at least it shows that it isn't dumbing down siginificantly for the time being.

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:51 pm

Marshall wrote:The problem is that an A in A-level Media Studies is much easier to earn than, say, an A in Maths. And given that an A is worth 120 UCAS points (points needed to get into university) regardless of the subject, is it any wonder students are choosing these 'easier' subjects?

For instance, to study Geography at the University of Manchester you needed an AAB or ABB result. Knowing this, students will choose Geography, Media Studies and Psychology as it is much easier to attain higher grades and therefore get into a better standard university.

I think there lies the fundamental problem. I doubt anyone would argue that a subject like Physics is of the same difficulty as Media Studies. If they were to address this, then surely more students would choose to study the more 'classic' subjects.

And amen to whoever said English Language is a steal. So easy it's not even funny.

It is a fair point to say that an A in maths is harder than an A in media studies, but I think it generally depends on the student. I mean there is alot of problem solving in maths which isn't my forte. I feel alot more comfortable writing an essay or whatever on subjects, which I doubt maths would do. I.e. to me maths would appear harder because I'm not adept at those type of problems.

It is only rational for students to choose subjects they think will get them the grades. However I think Daxter and Commie illustrate that subjects like media are becoming a bit of a joke amongst future a-levellers (rightly or wrongly, whatever your perspective), and thus pushing them to more 'classic' and respected subjects. I also read a BBC online article which said that better standard unis, primarily Oxbridge, are starting to discriminate against Media Studies, Film Studies etc, so it isn't far fetched that over time those type of 'art' subjects are going to decrease in students.

Luna · Post by **Luna** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:52 pm

Daxter wrote:
communistworkethic wrote:somehow dax, I doubt any of it is that challenging. I see the products of that qualification and frankly they're shoddy.
I'm just saying it's all not a walk in the park. It is a crappy GCSE though, more of a joke course. That's why I decided against taking it at A-level because it has such a shocking reputation.

Dax, which kind of history course are you taking? I'm in for a "modern history" one.

Also, do you want to have a party when our results come through?

Verbal · Post by **Verbal** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:53 pm

Daxter wrote:
Cheers, hopefully I will.

Fair point about media studies. I didn't like the look of it at A-level from what I've seen and I've heard that it is a poorly respected A-level. But I can understand what are saying about the amount of work you put in. Even at GCSE it is a fair amount. 4 long pieces of coursework, a 3 hour exam and you have to shoot and edit your own film trailer.

As long as you are creative and observent enough though it is fairly comfortable.

Yeah as long as you put the hours in its fine, its just making sure you do.

To be honest, you can say that about any course.

Daxter · Post by **Daxter** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:53 pm

Luna wrote:
Daxter wrote:
communistworkethic wrote:somehow dax, I doubt any of it is that challenging. I see the products of that qualification and frankly they're shoddy.
I'm just saying it's all not a walk in the park. It is a crappy GCSE though, more of a joke course. That's why I decided against taking it at A-level because it has such a shocking reputation.
Dax, which kind of history course are you taking? I'm in for a "modern history" one.

Also, do you want to have a party when our results come through?

Modern History.

And no the party. Have to hope my results are OK first.