a question about cambridge grades

Student Lounge International Students
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<p>I did my GCE Cambridge A Levels. However I could not do as I expected on a few subjects and that sets me on a really bad mood. I have chosen ivies and really good colleges such as uchicago, amherst, upenn, yale and others. Are my results good enough??</p>

<p>Physics - A , chemistry - A, Economics - A, Maths - B, General Paper - c .(hate this one, i used to score the highest back in the trials and the midterm examination in this gp test, and comfortably get as), Thinking Skills (independently studied) - a.</p>

<p>Are my results good enough for the colleges I am applying to?</p>

<p>Thanks,</p>

22

<p>Your grades are good - apply, you'll never know.</p>

23

<p>davincicodes.....its better....than mine....</p>

24

<p>but dont you think cambridge grades are a joke? i mean pretty much everyone ends up getting straight a's. Theres waayy too much grade inflation here. Wont colleges take that into consideration
?</p>

25

<p>I don't know about that - hardly anyone in my school thinks it's a joke. (In fact, I think some of the more obsessed people, like my ex, would murder you if you said that.) I think I was one of the very few people who got straight As for AS trials.</p>

<p>Regardless, if there is grade inflation, I think colleges ought to and will take it into account.</p>

26

<p>about 90 percent of the people in my school have straight a's. I doubt if they'll count for anything if that large a portion has them.</p>

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<p>and thats where school transcripts come in</p>

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<p>hey ammarsfound i think cambridge made a mistake marking your papers!! (if ur a levels was frm cambridge). the only thing i can say now is that cambridge grades ( may or may not be inflated) but they surely are unpredictible...</p>

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<p>lol,...................,almost every CCer here have grades straight in As.......:D..</p>

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<p>'hey ammarsfound i think cambridge made a mistake marking your papers!! (if ur a levels was frm cambridge). the only thing i can say now is that cambridge grades ( may or may not be inflated) but they surely are unpredictible...'</p>

<p>So they've made a mistake in 300 papers, all of which happened to be from the same school, for the past four years? because thats how long the 90 percent things lasted.</p>

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<p><a href="http://www.cie.org.uk/CIE/WebSite/ReferenceData/GeneralQualificationType/A%20%26%20AS%20LevelStatFile/November%202005%20A%20Level.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cie.org.uk/CIE/WebSite/ReferenceData/GeneralQualificationType/A%20%26%20AS%20LevelStatFile/November%202005%20A%20Level.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>A Level - World Totals Nov 2005
Candidates Grades (Cumulative Totals For A Level, Grades A-E)
% achieving A
9701 Chemistry 14.1
9702 Physics 11.5
9709 Mathematics 22.1</p>

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<p>So they've made a mistake in 300 papers, all of which happened to be from the same school, for the past four years? because thats how long the 90 percent things lasted.</p>

<p>Well, when I say they made a mistake, I mean they can be prone to. In my school many score straight As in the finals. However many of them are the poeple who score Cs or Ds before. And a significant amount of people who always scored As previously, and who had sufficient knowledge of the subject matter werent able to.</p>

33

<p>Apparently there was a mistake in the question paper (physics) this year..
My sister's friends are all pising thier pants about it haha</p>

34

<p>"Don't be vague. "Credit awarded for A-levels and AP is equal.. This proves both are comparable. As johnleemk said Ap's aren't in the main form of evaluation"</p>

<p>So what is your point? My post seems quite clear to me. A person with the highest grade he can achieve in an A level exam gets the same amount of credit as the person who achieves the highest grade in an AP exam. If APs and A levels were so different, why do they offer the SAME credit. Surely they should offer more for one and less for the other, certainly not the same. </p>

<p>"And abhishiv is right, I think - APs aren't directly comparable with O and A Levels, because they're not the main form of evaluation in the American system. Under the Cambridge system, though, the only thing that counts is your results for O and A Levels, and maybe your trial results."</p>

<p>Really? so colleges are dumb when they write, on their applications, that ALL applicants should send in a transcript. So the only thing that counts is your results for O and A Levels, and maybe your trial results, and colleges are essentially wasting their time asking for transcripts, trying to make themselves look good by asking for more paperwork?</p>

<p>As someone said, many intels have straight As on their O and A levels, so what's going to distinguish you, academically, from everyone else? The transcript. </p>

<p>Admissions officers cherish this document above everything else. Sure, you may be a good test taker, but how do you handle classroom work, what kind of courses do you take, have your grades declined during the past years? These are very important in determining whether you can handle the courseload at the university. This is certainly more than they can glean from a list of letters on a glossy certificate.</p>

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<p>I cant say whether APs are school leaving exams or not,but,if you have taken them than they are in for your advantage........you dont have to give SAT 2 after that (I think..)....if not given thenm,they are not a necessary for int'l students.......but then u will have to take SAT 2.....therefore,from this point,APs are NOT school leaveing exams..and as the name implies AP-ADVANCE Placement.........</p>

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<p>
[QUOTE]
Admissions officers cherish this document above everything else. Sure, you may be a good test taker, but how do you handle classroom work, what kind of courses do you take, have your grades declined during the past years? These are very important in determining whether you can handle the courseload at the university. This is certainly more than they can glean from a list of letters on a glossy certificate.

[/QUOTE]

I know there are qualifications in other countries called "A-levels" which are not the same. However, if you take UK A-levels the final grade is determined not only by exams but by what is known as "coursework", which is work done in class over the previous two years. In other words, A-level grades encompass classroom grades. "O-levels" have become obselete in the UK sometime in the 1980s, and were repleaced by "GCSEs". GCSEs also take 2 years and include coursework. So effectively GCSEs age 14-16 and A-levels age 16-18 ARE a high school transcript. Many schools give no other grades. A-levels are NOTHING like APs! There is an awful lot more work assessed than just one paper. In most cases 6-10 pieces of coursework and 4-12 exam papers over two years. Like I said, I'm not sure what Asian A-levels are like, but in the UK they are very comprehensive.</p>

37

<p>
[quote]
So what is your point? My post seems quite clear to me. A person with the highest grade he can achieve in an A level exam gets the same amount of credit as the person who achieves the highest grade in an AP exam. If APs and A levels were so different, why do they offer the SAME credit. Surely they should offer more for one and less for the other, certainly not the same.

[/quote]

So if can get the same vitamins from an apple and an orange, the two are directly comparable?</p>

<p>Looking at exams for the purposes of college credit and looking at them for the purposes of admission are two totally different things.</p>

<p>
[quote]
As someone said, many intels have straight As on their O and A levels, so what's going to distinguish you, academically, from everyone else? The transcript.

[/quote]

As I said, I told my counselor to send a transcript, but she told me that there's nothing to send. I don't know about other schools - maybe my school is just odd. There wouldn't be that much of a difference in any case because if there was a transcript, it would only comprise my records for the internal exams, which follow the exact same format as the A-levels - if colleges want to see how I don't do on standardised tests, they won't glean much from a transcript in my school.</p>

<p>Anyhow, my case is also a bit different because my old school will be sending a proper transcript - their records are kept differently, I suppose.</p>

<p>
[quote]
However, if you take UK A-levels the final grade is determined not only by exams but by what is known as "coursework", which is work done in class over the previous two years.

[/quote]

Most A-levels in Asia don't involve coursework, AFAIK. Your entire grade is based on how you do in the AS and A2 examination papers, unless there's a mix-up (like the scripts being lost) in which case your trial grades are substituted.</p>

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<p>John is right. Commonwealth A levels don't usually involve coursework. not from my commonwealth country anyway. And yes many schools as a result of following the "A-Levels" don't bother creating a school transcript for their students since they assume that only the final certificate is important. </p>

<p>Sure a transcript is gonna help the uni, but some HS juz don't have it. So its really a bit of a : just too bad.</p>

<p>On the comparability of A level and AP. Well, i think they aren't. Percentile cut off is different, courseload is also different. My own school, U of Chic, doesn't recognize A levels for credits and requires A level students to take a placement test to place out of courses. Some such students actually end up placing out in more courses than AP peers i think. Not sure on this one though.</p>

39

<p>
[quote]
Apparently there was a mistake in the question paper (physics) this year..
My sister's friends are all pising thier pants about it haha

[/quote]

:eek: CIE A level Physics? When? This November? Which paper?</p>

<hr>

40

<p>
[quote]
I cant say whether APs are school leaving exams or not,but,if you have taken them than they are in for your advantage........you dont have to give SAT 2 after that (I think..)....if not given thenm,they are not a necessary for int'l students.......but then u will have to take SAT 2.....therefore,from this point,APs are NOT school leaveing exams

[/quote]

Therefore, from what point? What does the availability of a certain type of exam and whether an international student takes SAT 2 and/or APs have anything to do with leaving exams?

[quote]
..and as the name implies AP-ADVANCE Placement.........

[/quote]

And as the name implies A levels - ADVANCED levels.</p>

<p>The issue of whether APs are leaving exams or not, boils down to the way you define "leaving exams" I take that that as the most advanced exams you take before leaving school.

[quote]
On the comparability of A level and AP. Well, i think they aren't. Percentile cut off is different, courseload is also different

[/quote]

And I say what I said in one of my PREVIOUS posts:
Of course, APs and A levels aren't DIRECTLY comparable. They are from completely different examination systems, so obviously the courseload will be different. And courseload also depends on the type of school one attends. But in essence colleges view them as comparable because they offer similar credits for these exams.

[quote]
So if can get the same vitamins from an apple and an orange, the two are directly comparable?

[/quote]

LOL! I think what you meant to say was " so if I can get the same AMOUNT of vitamins from an apple and an orange, the two are directly comparable?" And no, you can't get the same amount of vitamins from an apple and orange anyway.

[quote]
Looking at exams for the purposes of college credit and looking at them for the purposes of admission are two totally different things.

[/quote]

When you look at them for admission what exactly are they going to look for? Well among other things: your grade, the rigor of the courseload for the exam - basically the type of material you learn. See the links below for the obvious similarities between the material you learn.

[quote]
A-levels are NOTHING like APs!

[/quote]

Check out the course description for AP Physics B and C at
<a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_physb.html?physicsb%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_physb.html?physicsb&lt;/a>
Check out any of the CIE A Level Physics syllabi:
<a href="http://www.cie.org.uk/CIE/WebSite/qualificationsandawardshub/qualificationhubs/generalqualsubject/generalqualsubject.jsp?oid=2927&name=A+%26amp%3B+AS+Level+Physics&typeoid=2208%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cie.org.uk/CIE/WebSite/qualificationsandawardshub/qualificationhubs/generalqualsubject/generalqualsubject.jsp?oid=2927&name=A+%26amp%3B+AS+Level+Physics&typeoid=2208&lt;/a>
There are ENOUGH similarities, the topics are nearly IDENTICAL, will the admission officer make any fuss between the two? Don't think so.
And my question remains unanswered: If APs and A levels were so different, why do colleges offer the same amount of credit for these 2 exams?</p>