DP has just declared that A'levels are harder than a degree.

[supersop60]

And that's what employers are looking for.
AIBU to think he's a twit?

It depends on what you do and what you find hard.
I found further maths Alevel easy, but would have found an essay based subject between very difficult and impossible.
In a lot of ways I found GCSEs more work than either Alevel or degree because I had to do ones I found less tuitive.
Doesn't mean the actual subjects were harder though.

My degree was easier than 2 of my A levels. I did a business degree at a good uni. One of my A levels was music which is incredibly tough. I’m sure a degree in music would have been harder. So depends what you study at uni.

Did anyone else do A levels in the time they transitioned from A levels to AS and A levels? (2002-2004).

I remember in the first year there was a scandal about downgrading papers. There were several instances where 2 or more teachers would mark students papers as A-C and the examiner would mark them as a D-U. The teachers were absolutely baffled.

No one in my year did very well at A levels, yet the majority went on to do very well at university.

I still maintain something went wrong with the marking during this time.

Employers are typically going to look first at your degree.

But I agree. I have A Levels and a good degree in law from a very well regarded university. A levels are more work and are harder IMO. University was mainly life experience drinking

To be fair to your DP my dad who was a teacher told me back in the day that Alevels were harder than a degree, this was decades ago though so Alevels might have become easier since then. (his argument was the level was the same but you had less time and more to cover) He was a very experianced teacher at both Alevel and degree level.

I agree with him. I found my A-levels much harder than any of my degrees (law degree, masters etc). The transition between GCSES (which were pretty easy) and A levels was a far greater leap than between A-levels and Uni which was a more gradual transition. You can do well in a degree through hard work and there is less differentiation between grades. At school only the super bright got A's at A level.

I found a levels so much harder than my degree!

A levels you need 70% or something to pass, degree is 40%

My master's was actually the easiest of the lot. Lots of hours involved and hardwork, but pretty easy.

I got five Scottish Highers and dropped out of a BSc course after a year.

I got a professional position at the age of 54. You have to laugh!

I remember a teacher at my school telling us that a levels are harder

Employers are looking for degrees not A levels. That being said, for me my medical degree was easier than my A levels. A levels were awful. But I think that may have been made worse because I was unhappy at the time of my A levels.

I think a levels can be more intense, especially as you are studying several subjects at once, and it's a big leap from GCSE's. By the time you start a degree you've likely chosen a subject you either or enjoy or think you can achieve well on to secure a job in the field you want. You also have the skills from a levels, and the experience is usually different, I found my degree easier not because the content or assessments were easier, but because I enjoyed the subject and knew I was okay at it, and a levels had prepped me.

My DS is currently applying for graduate schemes and a significant proportion of the positions state they need a 2.1 honours degree and a minimum number of UCAS points. Obviously a way to distinguish between applicants. Not something I saw 3 years ago when DD1 was going through the same process.
I am another who found A-levels harder than a degree (in PPE).

Also a levels are used in a lot of sifts over degrees, armed forces officers used to always stipulate UCAS points from A levels even if you had a degree (I think it may have relaxed now because they are short on numbers), just as one example.

I found A levels harder than my degree, but I think it was more about the transition from a very controlled and prescriptive school environment to a college setting where it was non compulsory and you expected to be a self starter. By the time I went onto uni I was well able to study in a guided rather than taught way. My degree was definitely more academically advanced though.

One relevant point though, I started my career in a Big 4 accounting practice. You had to have a 2:1 or 1st to get in, but they also wanted at least BBB at A Level as that was considered a better indicator of likely first time passes in professional exams. No idea if it is still the case as I left the profession several decades ago but a big deal in 90s.

I think self discipline plays a part in this. GCSE and GNVQ really worked for me as there was constant teaching/ guidance everyday... university just wasn't for me and I gave up after a year. The freedom of 'here's your assignment- get on with it' just didn't work for me and the working world / set deadlines and consequences did work for me. Maybe it's about learning styles?

Definitely depends on the degree. Mine was far harder than A levels (medical)

We have leaving cert here in Ireland. I can honestly say it's the toughest exam I've ever done.
I've gone on to college and done a degree and post grad .
I think its because I had to study subjects I had no interest in for the leaving cert, while I had interest in what I studied in college.

I found the same to your title but would disagree about employers.

Perhaps he means they can be hard because there's tons of facts to learn which can be a bit dry, but with a degree rather than just facts its about reasoning and feels more inspiring. It's also (hopefully) much closer to what you want to end up doing.

I agree with him and I have both. I went to a top five University.

Reading this makes me realise that I perhaps didn’t work hard enough on my A Levels

I found A levels far harder than my degree - but it does depend on the degree. I did an easy one

(Psychology, if you're interested - Maths, Physics or Medicine would have been far harder I'm sure).

Depends which subjects but I did 4 essay subjects at A level and the workload was mental. My degree was quite relaxing after that - only 2 days of lectures a week and only the one subject.

Jump from GCSEs to A-levels was certainly a big one and smack in the face but by the middle of Y12 I figured out exactly what they were looking for in mark schemes and how to achieve it and sailed through with 4As.

Degree, on the other hand, was definitely so so much harder and something I definitely do not want to repeat ever again - and I say this being in the medical profession where I am constantly studying and sitting exams