In the UK, which is higher, O levels or A levels, and what do these levels mean?
by 
Grandma Roses - my avatar is my real dog
ANSWERS: 3
-
A levels are higher than O levels. O levels are meant for those who do not qualify for A levels. However, O levels are no longer in existence. A levels effect the universities you can get into and how advanced the courses you take at those universities are.
-
To expand on idymae's answer, which is largely correct, "O" stands for Ordinary, and "A" stands for Advanced. An O-level is based around the student having a minimum, basic knowledge of the subject, and an A-level is based around the student having gone on to master more complex aspects of the subject. The fact that O-levels have now been phased out does not actually mean that more students are legitimately mastering the more complex aspects of the subjects, however, nor does it mean that "basic knowledge is no longer enough". It really just means the government is playing on the history of A-levels being a significant achievement, and making it look like education is more successful by more people ending up with A-levels. In reality, there have been a lot of complaints about A-levels being "dumbed down".
-
As for the complaints of A levels being dumbed down in the UK, I can somewhat understand the people's anger. Here in the USA they have "dumbed down" our grading scale too! They don't want to hurt kid’s feelings and give him/her a lower grade than the other kid that put a lot of effort and time into his/her work. It is stupid! I see homework that would have earned at the best a C 20 years ago, that now gets an A or a B+! Kids that work hard are not rewarded extra, in fact the smart kids are made to feel average since the average kids are made to feel smart! It has made some students stop working as hard since they know they will get a good grade no matter what. Can you blame them? If someone told you that you could work half as hard, or long, and get the same pay, then who would continue working hard? It is not helping anyone! There is no reward for doing better than anyone else. Everyone is supposed to be the same! That is not right! Ok, yeah I am ranting.. Sorry!
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC