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Thread ID: 115397	2011-01-17 00:41:00	Cambridge School Exams	Digby (677)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1170298	2011-01-17 00:41:00	Hi Guys Years ago when I sat School Cert it was well known that the marks were scaled up or down depending on the toughness of the exam so that 50% of the sitters got above 50% and 50% got below 50%. (that was well known as the Half pass half fail system.) Does anyone know if the same thing happens with the Cambridge Exam, or is it just you get marked and that's it.	Digby (677)
1170299	2011-01-17 01:35:00	As far as I'm aware scaling School Certificate was unique to NZ, probably some misguided sense of equality or fairness, ie 50% pass - 50% fail. School Certificate in the UK, which subsequently became GCE, was not scaled. There were various regional university boards that set the exams, for example Northern Universities Joint Matriculation Board, University of London Matriculation Board I think it was called, and the Oxford and Cambridge university boards. All these boards moderated each other so that the levels set for the exams were comparable. I hadn't heard of scaling until I came here. Edit: of course things may be different now, what with mass immigration from the third world, and the PC brigade trying to make all equal....	Terry Porritt (14)
1170300	2011-01-17 01:41:00	Good heavens Digby, now you are showing your age. :D Next thing you’ll be telling us you had to get at least 30% in English otherwise it didn’t matter what you got in the other subjects. ;) But I’m afraid the PC Brigade determined that failing damaged our self esteem and now everybody passes with an A++++ or A+ or something. :groan: However, by way of observation, the country seemed to function much better with 50% damaged self esteems, having been told they FAILED! :D	B.M. (505)
1170301	2011-01-17 02:10:00	Unitec scaled. Not like that but we all got told (in our 2nd year) that it was a curve. So a few failed, a few got top marks and most somewhere in the middle. Too bad if you really got 100% and you got scaled. That was in 1997.	pctek (84)
1170302	2011-01-17 03:55:00	I remember scaling, and I'm not that old (28). I think scaling went out in my 6th form year.	pine-o-cleen (2955)
1170303	2011-01-17 04:36:00	So nobody knows yet. I'd hate to tell you what I got for maths!	Digby (677)
1170304	2011-01-17 04:52:00	So nobody knows yet. I'd hate to tell you what I got for maths! It would be extremely unlikely, unlikely in the extreme. They are regarded as international exams with absolute standards, that's why schools like Auckland Grammar sit them, not exams subject the political whims of those who don't want to see anyone fail. Remember, the old UK School Cert/General Certificate of Education exams were taken predominantly by grammar school pupils, and as such were regarded as elitist by the left wing brigade epitomised by Labour Education Minister Anthony Crossland who famously said in the 60s... " I'll make sure every f......g grammar school is destroyed if it's the last thing I do". It came to pass and most grammar schools were destroyed. Following on from this GCE was replaced by a General Certificate of Secondary Education, AFAIK a very much dumbed down "School Cert" for the hoi-poloi, in which everyone would get some some of non fail grade. So the Cambridge exams stand out as a beacon in a sea of political correctness :clap ( We noticed you were having difficulty with simple percentages :rolleyes: )	Terry Porritt (14)
1170305	2011-01-17 05:26:00	OK Terry, I accept what you are saying, that Cambridge is not scaled down. That's good news. I like that quote by the UK education minister. I actually went to a Grammar school in the UK for 2 years before gong to school for one year here in NZ. I actually think that that systems they had in the UK of Grammar Schools and Technical schools (for the less academic) was a great idea. They should bring it in here.	Digby (677)
1170306	2011-01-19 01:29:00	Scaling for NZ School Certificate was the accepted method of providing some equality of outcome due to the vast aray of subjects offered. For example Latin was a very difficult and challenging subject and how could a fair comparison be made between School Certificates composed of difficult challenging subjects to those made entirely of the soft options.	KenESmith (6287)
1170307	2011-01-19 01:33:00	Scaling for NZ School Certificate was the accepted method of providing some equality of outcome due to the vast aray of subjects offered. For example Latin was a very difficult and challenging subject and how could a fair comparison be made between School Certificates composed of difficult challenging subjects to those made entirely of the soft options. There were "no soft options" in the curricula and school cert exams offered in UK Grammar Schools......ergo no scaling.	Terry Porritt (14)
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