GCSE Results Out Today

[goldberry]

Okay everyone, I've decided to share my failure with all of my friends in the community.

 

My grades are: 1E, 2D, 7C, 2B

 

I was predicted 12 A*-B... I'm really dissapointed.

 

CONSOLE ME MY FRIENDS!

[MachineCult]

Well at least you can still do post-16.

[HerbieZ]

Well i can' say im gutted, i was predicted high grades and all i got were 6 D's 1E and two c's. From then on, i lost the will to do exams in college. Yeah it's a real kick up the arse but it's all downhill from now ^_^ Still, from this years exams i got a B in film studies, impressed with that, even for me.

[goldberry]

Well at least you can still do post-16.

 

Yep. ICT, Maths, English, and Bussiness Studies.

[Char Ell]

Okay everyone, I've decided to share my failure with all of my friends in the community.

 

My grades are: 1E, 2D, 7C, 2B

 

I was predicted 12 A*-B... I'm really dissapointed.

 

CONSOLE ME MY FRIENDS!

I would offer you some consolation and encouragement but unfortunately I apparently don't understand the grading system used in the UK.

 

I do offer the following:

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”

- Colin Powell, former U.S.A. Secretary of State

[goldberry]

Very well, yet I am feeling better after finding out that most of my friends average grades are Ds whereas mine are Cs. Im still unhappy that I got less than I wanted, but s*** happens.

 

I was wondering if anyone else got thier results today?

[Jae Onasi]

I agree totally with cutmeister--if you got bad grades, it doesn't mean you're doomed to get more bad grades. It means you have to work even harder. Take notes in class so you can review stuff later. Read the textbook assignments. Do every single assignment, even if it's boring, and study the night before a test to make sure you review everything, and study hard for finals week. If you're doing that already and you're still getting bad grades, talk to your teacher and get help. Teachers are much more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt if your grade's on the edge if you've gone for help than if you blew off every assignment they gave. It's also possible you need to switch out of that class into something different because it's not for you. I had to do that with Fortran--it just wasn't happening for me and I had too many other hard classes that year. So I dropped it and switched to another class, and life (and grades) was better.

I didn't get where I'm at today by being an Einstein, because I'm not. I worked my butt off to get where I am. Sometimes that meant several hours of homework a night and not going out with friends during finals week or on test nights. I did make sure to try to get as much done as possible on weeknights so that I could have fun on the weekends, but sometimes it didn't work out that way, and I typically had homework to do on Sunday afternoon because I did some volunteer work or went out with friends/youth group on Fridays.

I can pretty much guarantee that if you put more effort into schoolwork, or talk to your teacher/counselor/principal about it if you're already working hard to see if you need to do something different, that you'll see some positive results.

 

If you know your potential is high, don't be satisfied with mediocrity.

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

So England doesn't support "A", or did you just nap the whole time? And do they actually give E's over there? The only grades I've ever seen are A,B,C,Fail, where anything at or below C- is fail.

[HerbieZ]

A* is the best then A then B then C then D and E then finally U. Below C are usually faliures.

[Emperor Devon]

CONSOLE ME MY FRIENDS!

 

I've always been of the opinion that grades reflect effort rather than intellect. This was reinforced I found out someone didn't know what gravity was at the age of 14 and got As in many classes.

 

But intellect and effort aside, grades do matter. If you don't get good high school grades, you won't be able to go to a good college. If you don't go to a good college, you won't get a good job. If you don't get a good job, you'll be poor, bored, or both forevermore. And if your life can be described by any of those, it's either unpleasant, not worth living, or both.

 

In high school, I found that to be extremely motivating, and I obsessed over getting into a good college. Maybe to an unhealthy extent, but I'd say my life has been a good one so far.

[Mav]

1.) What is an E? when I was in lower school E stood for excellent, but I doubt that is what it means here.

 

2.) Unfortunately grades do matter, colleges look at them, when you're in college they matter less, but they still matter, what is the saying... "D for Diploma"... I've even heard people say, "D is for Doctorate," now that is scary... "Yea don't worry, I got a D on my doctors exam, I didn't know what a kidney was, but I still passed, so your brain surgery should go fine."

 

3.) I'm living proof that grades are not always the result of effort, yet I'm living proof that grades are the result of effort, a paradox? Let me explain. The first semester of college, I did not attend a single class of my calculus course, it was at 8 a.m. the only time I went was on test days, I still got an A, why well because I knew the course material already, that A was the result of intelect, not effort. However, I got also got an A in my Meteorology class, I never got higher than a 91% on any of my tests, in fact I frequently scored C's, so how did I get an A in the class? Well, I worked my butt off, I went in to see my prof during office hours, and took every chance at extra credit.

 

4.) My favorite highschool teacher, used to call me the master of minimalism, he said I knew exactly how to answer every question with the least amount of information, but still with enough information to garner an A.

 

5.) The point is, you need to know what you're good at, for the most part everybody out there has a specific area of knowledge that comes to them easily, requiring less effort. The sterotype of "asians rock the socks off of math" happens to actually apply to me (I'm a chink), and I do fairly well in science as well. However, my english is horrid, and I'm not too good at seeing things outside the box, I had trouble with psychology. So case in point, effort management, put less effort into what you're good at and more into what you suck at.

 

Edit:

If you don't get good high school grades, you won't be able to go to a good college.[/Quote]

 

Not always true, I know a few not so brilliant people who got into good colleges on athletic scholarships...

[milo]

I've always been of the opinion that grades reflect effort rather than intellect. This was reinforced I found out someone didn't know what gravity was at the age of 14 and got As in many classes.

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

-Albert Einstein

 

A truer quote there never was.

[Emperor Devon]

Not always true, I know a few not so brilliant people who got into good colleges on athletic scholarships...

 

Yeah, and what'll they do for the rest of their lives? Get their bones smashed so they can grab balls and throw them across fields?

 

I bolded the key words... Neither of those are very desireable.

 

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

 

I've never believed in that quote. An idiot can try to write a paper on pschology as hard as he possibly can, but the fact that he's an idiot prevents all that effort from doing anything. A fully-qualified and intelligent psychologist can write a paper on the same topic with minimal effort, but the fact that's a professional in that field and is intelligent would obviously result in him having the better paper.

[Jae Onasi]

2.) Unfortunately grades do matter, colleges look at them, when you're in college they matter less, but they still matter, what is the saying... "D for Diploma"... I've even heard people say, "D is for Doctorate," now that is scary... "Yea don't worry, I got a D on my doctors exam, I didn't know what a kidney was, but I still passed, so your brain surgery should go fine."

 

Grades _do_ matter at the graduate/professional level also. In grad school I couldn't get below a C in most classes and stay in the program, and we definitely could not get a D or F once we got into the doctorate (PhD) level work. In professional school, if you got a D or lower you either repeated that entire class and passed the 2nd time, or you were done. Repeating the class meant waiting an entire year for it to come around again. I think that was allowed for only 1 class, and you could not get below a C on any of the clinical courses. At least at Ohio State.

[milo]

I've never believed in that quote. An idiot can try to write a paper on pschology as hard as he possibly can, but the fact that he's an idiot prevents all that effort from doing anything.

That's because the idiot is zero percent inspiration.

A fully-qualified and intelligent psychologist can write a paper on the same topic with minimal effort, but the fact that's a professional in that field and is intelligent would obviously result in him having the better paper.

Well of course. But how do you think that very qualified and intelligent psychologist aquired the ability to write that paper so easily? Through lots of hard work.

[Emperor Devon]

Well of course. But how do you think that very qualified and intelligent psychologist aquired the ability to write that paper so easily? Through lots of hard work.

 

I'll use a different example. An idiot and an intellectual are given very complicated puzzles they must solve. As hard as he tries, the idiot simply can't do it. The intellectual solves the puzzles without effort.

[milo]

I'll use a different example. An idiot and an intellectual are given very complicated puzzles they must solve. As hard as he tries, the idiot simply can't do it. The intellectual solves the puzzles without effort.

gen‧ius

3. a person having an extraordinarily high intelligence rating on a psychological test, as an IQ above 140.

 

in‧tel‧li‧gence

1. capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.

 

 

The idiot simply has less capacity to learn than the intellect. That doesn't mean the intellect is instantly a genius, it just means he has the potential to become one, while the idiot does not. Which would make that a true quote. Don't argue with Einstein.

[Emperor Devon]

1. capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.

 

Then let's say he's never seen a puzzle before in his life, and has had the concept explained after recieving one. His higher capacity for reasoning would allow him to solve the puzzle where the idiot could not, regardless of how hard he tries.

 

But, this is getting waaaay off-topic.

[milo]

Then let's say he's never seen a puzzle before in his life, and has had the concept explained after recieving one. His higher capacity for reasoning would allow him to solve the puzzle where the idiot could not, regardless of how hard he tries.

Yes, but he still needs to work out a way to solve the puzzle.

But, this is getting waaaay off-topic.

That happens a lot when I'm around.

[The Source]

I got a 'D' before, but that was around 11yrs ago. I would use your disatisfaction for the grade as momentum to do better. The way I personally approach my classes, in college, is by acting as if they are training me for a job. It is hard to see it that way, but it is the truth about why you are there. When you are in highschool, you are being trained for more training. Try not to see the end of the road, but look at the journey that your on. Know what the end result is, but strive to learn as much as possible.

[Emperor Devon]

Yes, but he still needs to work out a way to solve the puzzle.

 

Yes, but since the intellectual is so much more intelligent, he doesn't need to try as hard, and can still get better results.

 

When you are in highschool, you are being trained for more training. Try not to see the end of the road, but look at the journey that your on. Know what the end result is, but strive to learn as much as possible.

 

A very good way of looking at it. The only problem is that schools try to fill your head up with useless information so it doesn't seem like training.

[milo]

Yes, but since the intellectual is so much more intelligent, he doesn't need to try as hard, and can still get better results.

Let's just agree to disagree on this one.

[Mav]

Grades _do_ matter at the graduate/professional level also. In grad school I couldn't get below a C in most classes and stay in the program, and we definitely could not get a D or F once we got into the doctorate (PhD) level work. In professional school, if you got a D or lower you either repeated that entire class and passed the 2nd time, or you were done. Repeating the class meant waiting an entire year for it to come around again. I think that was allowed for only 1 class, and you could not get below a C on any of the clinical courses. At least at Ohio State.

I find that bit of information a little comforting, surgeons scare the poo out of me, seriously how can you trust somebody to cut you with a knife, unless you're emo I guess . I've had surgery on my ankle, I broke it in half playing football, but they didn't have to cut anything, the bone took care of that for them. I did go back in to have the screw removed from the bone, but thats only because the fear of a screw rusting and corroding my bone from the inside was outweighed the fear of being cut with a scalpel.

 

Not always true, I know a few not so brilliant people who got into good colleges on athletic scholarships...

Yeah, and what'll they do for the rest of their lives? Get their bones smashed so they can grab balls and throw them across fields?

 

I bolded the key words... Neither of those are very desireable.

My point was simply that knowledge was not necessarily essential to get into a good college. However, keep in mind several atheletes on scholarships maintain high GPAs, you try play a sport like football and keep your GPA up, it's pretty damned hard.

[goldberry]

Okie, this topic's gotten nice and big while I slept.

 

Right, In the UK there IS NO FAIL, because in the mind of the government it would be discriminating against dumb people to say "you fail". A*, A, B, and C are "good grades", D and E are not so good grades, and U (The English F [bUT WE CAN'T SAY F BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE A SHORTENED FAIL]) is just life's way of saying "don't even come to this lesson anymore" or "change who you hang around with XD".

 

Just hope I cleared that up and made clear some holes in the british way of thinking.

[Pavlos]

So England doesn't support "A", or did you just nap the whole time? And do they actually give E's over there? The only grades I've ever seen are A,B,C,Fail, where anything at or below C- is fail.

 

Technically a U is a fail grade... and realistically a D is one too. If you get below a C in any of your exams it will not be considered to be in your favour. The England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Scotland uses a different system) system at Pre-A level works on an 8 point grade scheme. In America it is a 5/4 point one, is it not?

 

You don't have to declare your bad results when applying to University (1 year later)/Sixth Form College (Now), 7 good GCSEs are better than 7 good and 4 awful ones.

 

@Jae: For GCSEs, doing extra work won't gain you anything. The exams are marked externally by people who have never met you. So whether or not you spend an extra five hours in the library every Friday really doesn't matter for them, as they won't give you the benefit of the doubt. Of course, working extra hard can, and will, pay off. Especially with things like coursework (Normally about 25% of the overall grade at GCSE level).