Thursday 23 August 2012

Exam Day of Doom?!

Well today was the day of doom for many 16 year olds in the UK, one Saul Blease included, as the GCSE (O-level in old money) exam results were released. Fortunately Saul exceeded the entry requirements for Sixth Form so he won't be asking me "do I want fries with that" at McDonald's next week.*

The press and politicians all seem to pontificate about how the exams have been dumbed down over the years but this is (pardon my French), bollocks. Saul has worked bloody hard at his subjects over the last two years and has been rewarded with good passes in those he has no aptitude for (ie. hates), and got the grades he wanted in those subjects he does like (though we are all, Saul included, baffled how he got three distinctions in ICT!).

His forte is music and the science, math, history study is all a means to an end to be able to study what he wants musically (and become a rock god) and I thought I would share with you one of his GCSE Music compositions for which he was awarded an A*.



* if you know someone who did not get what they wanted, give them a hug and support and let them know that there are opportunities out there and to keep working at it. Don't give up!

18 comments:

  1. Congratulations to your son and good luck for his future.

    I do get annoyed when people go on about the 'dumbing down' of exam results rather than acknowledging the possibility that that standards have risen. When I look at my daughters school (in a largely underprivileged and poor area of East London) and compare it to my old school 25 years ago, its clear that the quality of teaching, support, encouragement and challenge students receive now is far superior to anything I encountered. Standards have clearly improved and its not surprising that results have as well.

    My daughter received an outstanding set of results today and I know she has earned every single one of them. Any suggestion by politicians and armchair annalists to the contrary is an insult to the hours of homework and revision she has put in every night for the last two years.

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    1. Cheers Lee, quite agree on the teachers. Saul's Chemistry teacher refused to give up on him after his mocks when both he and I thought about dropping in.

      Your daughter's results are amazing...

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  2. I'm very pleased for him. I'm glad he has the opportunity to do what he wants to do, cherish that. A levels are incredibly hard, it's that age where you start discovering 'distractions' and I remember every course said that it's own work was the most important. Taking on 5 is pretty hardcore stuff!
    Well done again to Saul.

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    1. I'm sure he'll cut it back but we agree start with five and see what you like rather than assume that you will like something. His mother won't allow any "distractions"!!!! :-)

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  3. Well done Saul...become the rock god!!!
    Cheers
    paul

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    1. Cheers mate, he is quite amazing musically, especially composing bearing in mind his age. Hoping to persuade him to do some small gigs over the next year...

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  4. Hi Steve,

    Congrats to Saul - it is always a pleasure saying that to someone when you know just how much sheer hard work, blood, sweat and tears that is needed to get there!

    All the best,

    DC

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    1. Thanks DC, your daughter's grades were amazing. Congratulations to her and the Crook family support staff!

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  5. Well done Saul!

    GCSE might not be as 'hard' as the old fashioned O levels that Mr Gove raves about, but he didn't have to take ten or eleven of them, and do well across the board, which is what kids are up against these days.

    I'll pat myself on the back too, as well as my hardworking history students (most of them at least), who got 49% A*-A and 79% A*-C.

    Well done ladies and gentlemen!

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    1. Gove? Puh!!! He misses the point that the kids have been studying, revising and taking exams for two years.I see no point in just seeing who can pass exams in one sitting when the kid may have hay fever or a bad day or whatever. Man is a buffoon!

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  6. Congrats Saul - the future, as always, is in your hands.
    Do your best and you can always hold your head high.

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    1. Cheers Paul, when he tours Australia I'll make sure you get some free tickets! ;-)

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    1. Cheers Brummie. Now the exams are out the way, hopefully we can get back to the zombies!

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  8. Congratulations to you both. That's a fantastic result, and I really like Saul's track which you posted. He's going to have a bright future!

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    1. Cheers Sidney, not bad for a sixteen year old! :-) He does seem to have a talent for composing (not sure where he gets it from!)

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  9. Well done indeed! I like your last line too. Last year my daughter got 5 A* and 5 A grades and my wife laid into her for days about what a failure she was and she hasn't really recovered. Exams are horrible and children need support! Well said!

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  10. Wow! Saul would have bitten his leg off for those grades. We take a pragmatic view here that you get what you need to get where you want to get. No employer will care what you got at GCSE if you are a graduate. Saul got a mix of grades that comfortably got him into sixth form and to do the A-levels he wants with a view to trying to get to Uni to do the degree he wants. To us a C in Physics is the same as an A* as he needed only to pass it as he would not be studying it at A-level.

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