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A-level 4과목 이상 A받아야 안정권?
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주영한국교육원
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19:54 21 Aug 2008
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A-level 4과목 이상 A받아야 안정권?
□ 4개 이상의 A를 받아야 대학 입학 시 안정권에 든다는 믿음 확산
- 8월 14일 발표된 2008 A-level 결과에 의하면 3과목 이상에서 A학점을 받은 학생이 11퍼센트 이상으로 밝혀짐
- 대학 입학 시 유리한 위치에 서기 위해 학부모와 학교가 유능한 학생들에게 압력을 가한 것이 원인
□ 2008 A-level 결과
- 8월 14일 시험관리위원회에 의해 결과 발표
- 317,000명 지원 : 예년의 비해 22,000명 증가
- 최초로 97% 이상의 학생이 합격선 이상의 점수 획득
- 합격 학생의 26% 정도의 학생이 A학점 획득
- 6과목 이상에서 A학점 획득한 학생 속출 : 옥스퍼드 Abingdon School에서 공부하는 Howard Loh 학생 7과목 A획득, 런던 City of London School 공부하는 Tom Morley, Clarence Frank 및 남서부의 Sutton High School의 Jenny Crowhurst 6과목 A획득
□ 많은 과목에서 A학점을 받는 것에 대한 회의적 시선
▪ Russell Group research의 담당자 Wendy Piatt
- 대다수의 지원자들이 세과목에서 A를 받고, 4개의 A학점을 받는 학생도 점점 늘어나고 있음
▪ 캠브리지 대학 입학처장 Geoff Parks
- 4개 과목에 응시하는 것은 일반적이고, 세과목 A학점 획득은 최소한의 자격 요건이 되어가고 있음
- 몇몇 재능 있는 학생들은 세과목 이상의 A-Level에 응시하는 것을 하나의 도전으로 생각하며 즐기지만, 이는 동시에 세과목 이상의 A를 받는 것이 학생들을 유리한 위치에 놓이게 할 것이라는 믿음을 보여줌. 이러한 상황은 학생들의 전체적인 성과에 부정적인 영향을 끼칠 수 있음
- 2010년부터 A* 등급이 도입되면 핵심적인 분별 요소는 과목의 수가 아닌 성취등급이 될 것이기에, 현재의 상황을 반전시켜 학생들이 세과목의 A-Level을 지원하길 기대함
▪ 브리스톨 대학 입학처장 Angela Millm
- 4과목에서 A를 받은 학생들이 점차 증가하여 지원학과당 12명에 달하였고, 드라마 전공 학과에는 40명까지 지원함
- 몇몇 학생들은 단지 열심히 하기 위해 많은 A-Level 과목에 지원하지만, 대학에서 추가 점수를 받을 것을 기대하며 더 많은 과목에 지원하는 학생이 분명히 있을 것이라고 확신함
▪ 브라이튼 컬리지 학교장 Richard Cairns
- 60% 이상의 학생들이 스스로를 돋보이게 하기 위한 수단으로서 4개 또는 5개 이상의 과목에 지원함
- 스포츠, 연설 및 예술 과목 등에도 분배되어야 할 시간을 A-level에 모두 쏟아 붓게 되기 때문에 이러한 현상에 대해 우려
- 2008년 9월부터 시범 시행되는 A* 등급이 학생들의 부담감을 덜해 주기를 기대함
□ A-level 통계 분석
- 2008년 사상 최초로 A-Level의 지역별 분석, 합격선 및 지역별 A학점을 획득한 학생의 통계가 공개됨
- 대학의 요구 조건을 가장 많은 학생이 충족시킨 것을 보여주는 동시에 A-level이 점점 쉬워지는 것이 아니냐는 우려
- 지난 6년간(2002-2008) 남동부가 가장 많이 발전하였고(6.1%상승), 북동부가 가장 뒤처진 것으로 밝혀짐(2.1% 상승)
- AQA 시험본부 담당자 Mike Cresswell : “시험 결과는 학교 밖에서 발생되는 지속적이며 역사적인 패턴을 보여주기에 우려가 된다”.
- 전통적인 과목인 과학과 언어 과목이 부활하는 기미가 보임 : 수학 지원자 60,093명에서 64,593명으로 증가
- 수험자 수 증가 : 생물학 2.7%, 화학 3.5%, 물리학 2.3%
- 언어가 지속적으로 비인기 과목이 될 거라는 우려 불식 : 불어 성적 평균은 1993년 이후 최고에 달했고, 스페인어 지원자 수는 7,055명으로 최다를 기록
□ A-level 등급별 분포
□ 기사 원문 보기
Pupils feel three A-levels no longer enough for university
-August 15, 2008
Increasing numbers of teenagers believe that three good A levels are no longer a passport to a university degree and are opting to take four or more subjects in an attempt to stand out from the growing crowd getting three A grades.
A-level results published yesterday showed that more than 11 per cent of teenagers now get three A grades, increasing parental and school pressure on the most able students to go the extra mile with an extra A level to impress university admissions officers.
This year's record crop of A-level results showed that the pass rate has exceeded 97 per cent for the first time, with the percentage of pupils achieving A grades up to nearly 26 per cent.
The results, published yesterday by the Joint Council for Qualifications, representing exam boards, also show that while the number of A-level candidates this year remains stable at around 317,000, the number of A levels taken has risen by more than 22,000. The number of candidates studying further mathematics, usually taken as a fourth A level to accompany maths, rose by 15.5 per cent with more than 9,000 entries.
Howard Loh, a pupil at Abingdon School, Oxfordshire, yesterday celebrated seven A grades. Similar tales abounded throughout the country. Tom Morley and Clarence Frank, pupils at City of London School, got six grade As each, as did Jenny Crowhurst, a pupil at Sutton High School in southwest London.
University admissions officials said last night that they were seeing a steady increase in the number of candidates with four or more A levels, excluding general studies. But many questioned the wisdom of such a move.
Wendy Piatt, director-general of the elite Russell Group of research- intensive universities, said: "In many cases all candidates have three As - and increasingly four As."
Geoff Parks, director of admissions at Cambridge, said that taking four subjects was a growing trend, given that three As was now virtually a minimum requirement.
“Some talented pupils do more than three A levels because they enjoy the work and the challenge. But you can see how some pupils might think that doing more might make them stand out from those with three As.
“In fact they might be disadvantaging themselves by taking the edge off their overall performance by doing so much," he said.
Dr Parks said that he hoped the introduction of the new top A* grade from 2010 would reverse the trend and persuademore students to take three because the key discriminator will be quality rather than quantity.
Angela Milln, head of admissions at Bristol, said that growing numbers of pupils with four A levels were applying to the university, which attracts a record 12 applications per place (rising to 40 for drama places).
“Some do it just to stretch themselves," she said. "But I'm sure there are those who think that offering something extra will give them extra credit with universities. It won't."
Richard Cairns, head of Brighton College, said: "Increasingly pupils have opted for four or five as a way of distinguishing themselves from other candidates. Sixty per cent of our pupils do four A levels for this reason.
“My own feeling is that pupils should not be encouraged to do too many A levels because it eats into time that should be devoted to all those other important aspects of an education such as sport, public speaking and the performing arts."
He agreed that the A*, to be introduced next month for testing in 2010 as part of a package of reforms to make A levels harder, would ease the pressure on students.
Yesterday's record results meant that more pupils than ever met their university offers, but this also led to renewed concerns that the exams were getting easier. For the first time the exam board released a regional breakdown, examining pass rates and the proportion of students getting A grades in various areas of the country.
It showed that the greatest improvements in the past six years have been in the South East, and the North East appears to be lagging behind.
Between 2002 and 2008, the number of A grades in the South East rose 6.1 per cent, while in the North East there was an improvement of 2.1 per cent.
Mike Cresswell, director-general of the AQA exam board, said that the figures suggested a worrying "long-standing historical pattern"with causes beyond what went on in school.
The results showed signs of a revival in traditional subjects, such as sciences and languages.
The number of maths candidates rose from 60,093 last year to 64,593 this year. There are more candidates doing mathematics than at any time in the past. Entries rose by 2.7 per cent in biology, 3.5 per cent in chemistry and by 2.3per cent in physics, although numbers are still down on what they were in the early 2000s.
Fears that languages would undergo a slump in popularity proved unfounded as the number of candidates taking A levels in French rose to its highest level since 1993. Spanish entries were the highest they had ever been at 7,055.
□ 4개 이상의 A를 받아야 대학 입학 시 안정권에 든다는 믿음 확산
- 8월 14일 발표된 2008 A-level 결과에 의하면 3과목 이상에서 A학점을 받은 학생이 11퍼센트 이상으로 밝혀짐
- 대학 입학 시 유리한 위치에 서기 위해 학부모와 학교가 유능한 학생들에게 압력을 가한 것이 원인
□ 2008 A-level 결과
- 8월 14일 시험관리위원회에 의해 결과 발표
- 317,000명 지원 : 예년의 비해 22,000명 증가
- 최초로 97% 이상의 학생이 합격선 이상의 점수 획득
- 합격 학생의 26% 정도의 학생이 A학점 획득
- 6과목 이상에서 A학점 획득한 학생 속출 : 옥스퍼드 Abingdon School에서 공부하는 Howard Loh 학생 7과목 A획득, 런던 City of London School 공부하는 Tom Morley, Clarence Frank 및 남서부의 Sutton High School의 Jenny Crowhurst 6과목 A획득
□ 많은 과목에서 A학점을 받는 것에 대한 회의적 시선
▪ Russell Group research의 담당자 Wendy Piatt
- 대다수의 지원자들이 세과목에서 A를 받고, 4개의 A학점을 받는 학생도 점점 늘어나고 있음
▪ 캠브리지 대학 입학처장 Geoff Parks
- 4개 과목에 응시하는 것은 일반적이고, 세과목 A학점 획득은 최소한의 자격 요건이 되어가고 있음
- 몇몇 재능 있는 학생들은 세과목 이상의 A-Level에 응시하는 것을 하나의 도전으로 생각하며 즐기지만, 이는 동시에 세과목 이상의 A를 받는 것이 학생들을 유리한 위치에 놓이게 할 것이라는 믿음을 보여줌. 이러한 상황은 학생들의 전체적인 성과에 부정적인 영향을 끼칠 수 있음
- 2010년부터 A* 등급이 도입되면 핵심적인 분별 요소는 과목의 수가 아닌 성취등급이 될 것이기에, 현재의 상황을 반전시켜 학생들이 세과목의 A-Level을 지원하길 기대함
▪ 브리스톨 대학 입학처장 Angela Millm
- 4과목에서 A를 받은 학생들이 점차 증가하여 지원학과당 12명에 달하였고, 드라마 전공 학과에는 40명까지 지원함
- 몇몇 학생들은 단지 열심히 하기 위해 많은 A-Level 과목에 지원하지만, 대학에서 추가 점수를 받을 것을 기대하며 더 많은 과목에 지원하는 학생이 분명히 있을 것이라고 확신함
▪ 브라이튼 컬리지 학교장 Richard Cairns
- 60% 이상의 학생들이 스스로를 돋보이게 하기 위한 수단으로서 4개 또는 5개 이상의 과목에 지원함
- 스포츠, 연설 및 예술 과목 등에도 분배되어야 할 시간을 A-level에 모두 쏟아 붓게 되기 때문에 이러한 현상에 대해 우려
- 2008년 9월부터 시범 시행되는 A* 등급이 학생들의 부담감을 덜해 주기를 기대함
□ A-level 통계 분석
- 2008년 사상 최초로 A-Level의 지역별 분석, 합격선 및 지역별 A학점을 획득한 학생의 통계가 공개됨
- 대학의 요구 조건을 가장 많은 학생이 충족시킨 것을 보여주는 동시에 A-level이 점점 쉬워지는 것이 아니냐는 우려
- 지난 6년간(2002-2008) 남동부가 가장 많이 발전하였고(6.1%상승), 북동부가 가장 뒤처진 것으로 밝혀짐(2.1% 상승)
- AQA 시험본부 담당자 Mike Cresswell : “시험 결과는 학교 밖에서 발생되는 지속적이며 역사적인 패턴을 보여주기에 우려가 된다”.
- 전통적인 과목인 과학과 언어 과목이 부활하는 기미가 보임 : 수학 지원자 60,093명에서 64,593명으로 증가
- 수험자 수 증가 : 생물학 2.7%, 화학 3.5%, 물리학 2.3%
- 언어가 지속적으로 비인기 과목이 될 거라는 우려 불식 : 불어 성적 평균은 1993년 이후 최고에 달했고, 스페인어 지원자 수는 7,055명으로 최다를 기록
□ A-level 등급별 분포
□ 기사 원문 보기
Pupils feel three A-levels no longer enough for university
-August 15, 2008
Increasing numbers of teenagers believe that three good A levels are no longer a passport to a university degree and are opting to take four or more subjects in an attempt to stand out from the growing crowd getting three A grades.
A-level results published yesterday showed that more than 11 per cent of teenagers now get three A grades, increasing parental and school pressure on the most able students to go the extra mile with an extra A level to impress university admissions officers.
This year's record crop of A-level results showed that the pass rate has exceeded 97 per cent for the first time, with the percentage of pupils achieving A grades up to nearly 26 per cent.
The results, published yesterday by the Joint Council for Qualifications, representing exam boards, also show that while the number of A-level candidates this year remains stable at around 317,000, the number of A levels taken has risen by more than 22,000. The number of candidates studying further mathematics, usually taken as a fourth A level to accompany maths, rose by 15.5 per cent with more than 9,000 entries.
Howard Loh, a pupil at Abingdon School, Oxfordshire, yesterday celebrated seven A grades. Similar tales abounded throughout the country. Tom Morley and Clarence Frank, pupils at City of London School, got six grade As each, as did Jenny Crowhurst, a pupil at Sutton High School in southwest London.
University admissions officials said last night that they were seeing a steady increase in the number of candidates with four or more A levels, excluding general studies. But many questioned the wisdom of such a move.
Wendy Piatt, director-general of the elite Russell Group of research- intensive universities, said: "In many cases all candidates have three As - and increasingly four As."
Geoff Parks, director of admissions at Cambridge, said that taking four subjects was a growing trend, given that three As was now virtually a minimum requirement.
“Some talented pupils do more than three A levels because they enjoy the work and the challenge. But you can see how some pupils might think that doing more might make them stand out from those with three As.
“In fact they might be disadvantaging themselves by taking the edge off their overall performance by doing so much," he said.
Dr Parks said that he hoped the introduction of the new top A* grade from 2010 would reverse the trend and persuademore students to take three because the key discriminator will be quality rather than quantity.
Angela Milln, head of admissions at Bristol, said that growing numbers of pupils with four A levels were applying to the university, which attracts a record 12 applications per place (rising to 40 for drama places).
“Some do it just to stretch themselves," she said. "But I'm sure there are those who think that offering something extra will give them extra credit with universities. It won't."
Richard Cairns, head of Brighton College, said: "Increasingly pupils have opted for four or five as a way of distinguishing themselves from other candidates. Sixty per cent of our pupils do four A levels for this reason.
“My own feeling is that pupils should not be encouraged to do too many A levels because it eats into time that should be devoted to all those other important aspects of an education such as sport, public speaking and the performing arts."
He agreed that the A*, to be introduced next month for testing in 2010 as part of a package of reforms to make A levels harder, would ease the pressure on students.
Yesterday's record results meant that more pupils than ever met their university offers, but this also led to renewed concerns that the exams were getting easier. For the first time the exam board released a regional breakdown, examining pass rates and the proportion of students getting A grades in various areas of the country.
It showed that the greatest improvements in the past six years have been in the South East, and the North East appears to be lagging behind.
Between 2002 and 2008, the number of A grades in the South East rose 6.1 per cent, while in the North East there was an improvement of 2.1 per cent.
Mike Cresswell, director-general of the AQA exam board, said that the figures suggested a worrying "long-standing historical pattern"with causes beyond what went on in school.
The results showed signs of a revival in traditional subjects, such as sciences and languages.
The number of maths candidates rose from 60,093 last year to 64,593 this year. There are more candidates doing mathematics than at any time in the past. Entries rose by 2.7 per cent in biology, 3.5 per cent in chemistry and by 2.3per cent in physics, although numbers are still down on what they were in the early 2000s.
Fears that languages would undergo a slump in popularity proved unfounded as the number of candidates taking A levels in French rose to its highest level since 1993. Spanish entries were the highest they had ever been at 7,055.