What were "good" O level results in 1987?

[Tanaqui]

Does anyone have any data on how O level grades back then correlate to GcSE grades now?

I am aware that it obviously isn't a clear comparison, but maybe just in terms on what % of children got an A, B or C?

Year 11 ds wants to know how well I did, compared to how well he might do!

Feel very old as 87 was the last year of O levels!

Have tried google, but get lots of newspaper dumbing down articles and would rather something a bit more accurate.

Thanks.

May be late to the discussion, but I got 6 As 1B and 2cs at GCSE (in 1993) and four A levels at grades BBCC.

This was fairly typical and average at my school then.

It got me into an RG uni to read English. Not sure it would now!

I then went on to get a first class degree, which has been quite helpful, but the parents of the primary aged children I teach do assume I'm less educated than them...

I got 6 As and 2 Bs in 1984. Bs in languages (Latin and French).
Bristol uni offer was BB (it's now AAA for my subject) and I got AB. They didn't care then about the other grade(s). I eventually ended up with a Ph.D.

I did a nightschool GCSE in German in 2000 in a year from scratch. I am NOT the world's best linguist, and I got an A. Distinctly easier (and with much less work) than I remembered my French being, even after 5 years of the latter. And you could take a dictionary into the GCSE!

I just found this on the aqa website whichmayhelp.
GCE O-level (Ordinary level) subjectsFrom 1951 to 1962 students were recorded as having reached the Ordinary standard in subjects in which they were successful. Pass = 45/100From 1963 to 1974 success in Ordinary level subjects was indicated as a Pass. Grades 1-6 = Pass, grades 7-9 = FailFrom 1975 to 1987 attainment in an Ordinary level subject was indicated by a grade A, B, C, D or E of which grade A was the highest and grade E the lowest. Students awarded grade A, B, or C reached the standard of the former subject pass at Ordinary level. Grade D indicated a lower standard of attainment judged by the awarding body to be of sufficient standard to be recorded. Performances below the standard of grade E were ungraded and not recorded on the certificate.

I know this is an old thread, but I was just researching the change in difficulty in foreign language A-levels over time when I came across it. It's really interesting to compare our experiences.

I went to a girls' state grammar and did O-levels in 1983.

Most continued on to A-levels, after which a lot went on to uni, some to other HE, some left education.

Everyone had to do the core subjects:

1. English Lang,
2. English Lit,
3. Maths,
4. Biology,
5. French,
6. History,
7. Geography.

Then most of us also did either

1. Latin or German.

Then everyone also did one of these 4:

9 & 10. Physics & Chemistry

1. Music
2. Art

9 & 10. Cookery & Needlework

So almost everyone did 9 or 10 subjects.

I got 7As, 1B and 2Cs. I was happy with that. I think I was in about the top 3rd of my year, but of course grammar schools aren't representative of a year's results (ours was selective entry based on the 11-plus).

I see this is an old thread but it's an interesting discussion. I was the first year of GCSE in 1988, and got 4 x A 3 x B and 1 x c. I got all As at A level and had an offer for Cambridge but failed one of their entry exams so went elsewhere (BBC offer).

Husband did O levels, got 3 As, 5 Bs and 2 Cs, ABB at A level and went to Oxford. Both of us went to state grammar schools.

I also took a special paper and failed, but DH got a merit in his (different subjects).

DS is likely to get mix of 7s and 8s with maybe 6s for science at GCSE this year. It's difficult to compare with ours.

I was the last year of O Levels and got 5 As and 4 Bs which everyone was estatic about but seems distinctly average to me now (there were no A* in fairness I suppose).

A Levels I got 2A* and a B and got ridiculous low or unconditional offers at all universities I applied to to do a science subject.

Seems much harder now.

I got 2 Bs 3 Cs 2 Ds and an E. I was in the top 5% of my year at grammar school and the E was considered so odd that my teachers still allowed me to study that subject at A level. I was expected to go to university and my English teacher said I should seriously consider Oxbridge but I had no family support so couldn’t afford higher education.

Damn caught by a zombie thread

1986 O levels - 7 x A, 3 x B, I was considered a swot
1988 A levels, ABB enough to get to Cambridge to study law

My kids are 😳 at that!!

Wow I feel quite brainy now. I got 8 x A and 1 x B in my O levels in 1981

In the 1980's in my school we all had to do English language, English Literature, Maths.

Turning to the options block you had to choose a language I chose French and you had to choose a Science I chose Human Biology. Then you had three remaining option blocks. I choose Home Economics, Admin and Typing as well as History o'level.

I failed Home Economics half the time we just messed about it was my favourite class back in the mid 1980's you can guess why. I also failed french too the french teacher was the deputy head mistress she wasn't there half the time because of it. Both teachers entered use into CSE I failed them both i got a 2 in french and 3 domestic science.

The rest of them i toke o'levels i passed them all i got a B in English language and Admin and Typing and c's in everything else.

Ha ha @AnnMcGuinness I did O'Levels in 1978. Failing was still a thing then.

ZOMBIE

We were in the same year at Cambridge! I got 7A and 3B for O level and won a scholarship for 6th form (private school) as the top performer - went on to get ABB at A level, you wouldn’t get sniffed at fir those grades now!!

I got 3A, 3B and 3C in 1981 and ABC in A levels in 1983 . Went to Durham to do economics , they’d laugh if I applied with those grades now .

A far lower percentage of young people did O'Levels, fewer still A'Levels, and even fewer a degree in the 70s/early 80s so competition was less intense. I had lots of contemporaries who with 5/6 O'Levels, some with 2/3 from goodish private schools who went on to do: secretarial, cordon bleu, interior design courses. A lot of families still didn't give a fig and the ity was still an option for the right sort of boys who didn't go to university.

We wonder why there has been an explosion of MH issues among teenagers. It's so obvious.