Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

History exam - unfair article?

55 replies

mumblecrumble · 23/06/2009 16:20

IS it me.... or is this horrible?

www.sundayexpress.co.uk/posts/view/108960/A-Level-exam-too-difficult

One of my students who also studies history, has a good vocab and is very articulate [oxbridge to do policitcs next year] had the same complaint.

OP posts:
OldLadyKnowsNothing · 23/06/2009 16:51

Teachers don't like it.

I'd be interested in what the full question was, that an "intelligent" student could assume that "despotic" = "chaotic" from the context.

StewieGriffinsMom · 23/06/2009 16:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

fembear · 23/06/2009 16:42

link. Handed to you on a plate.

fembear · 23/06/2009 16:38

I know how they feel. I have no idea what the word 'choatic' means.

slug · 23/06/2009 16:36

The link isn't working. However, if it's the story I'm thinking of, it beggars belief that an 18 year old history student couldn't decode the word 'despotic' or at least make a decent guess at what it means.

I don't think the exam was unfair at all. I think students are too used these days to having everything handed to them on a plate and, when presented with something out of their comfort zone, panic and blame the exam.

I taught A levels for 11 years and I expected students to read around the subject. Very few of them ever did. You can tell and tell them till you are blue in the face, but they always prefer to blame someone other than themselves when things don't go exactly as they want.