General Chat

Today we interviewed someone who had 9 GCSE's on their CV - all the good subjects - Maths, English etc.....but during the interview the grades were came to light......two D's ... three E's.....the rest F's - are these really qualifications...or am I just old fashioned...is an 'F' in Maths a qualification.....this person had to use a calculator to divide 30 by 6.............

well it probably means they put their name in the correct box! Claire

This I think depends on your age! When I was at school (70's) anything less than a 'c' was not good. Today a D E & even F seem to be an acceptable grade unless you plan on going to Cambridge!

Yeah they are but not to a very good standard. Anything other than a U is qualification. Anything lower than C is technically a fail but is still a qual. Dan (happy his lowest mark is Maths D)

when I worked in the wines/spirits stores at the brewery I could tell an auditor how much was on a board/pallet using my head than he could with a calculator yes a quallified auditor

I have a feeling that they can't fail these days. Best thing would be to ask for grades on application forms, and ask them to bring certificates with them. I think we used to ask for grade C and above Ann Glos

If you are talking A levels then I believe that anything under an E or F is classed as a failure ( I only just managed to pass with a D) Lynda x

Its just how the scoring system has changed over the years? so that governments can claim to have improved standards, although they are in my opinion falling. I will just add that, I employed a man that had more Qualifications (City and guilds) than you could beat to death with a stick, over his trial period i tryed him on every one of the skills that he was qualified for and my 7 year old did a better job than he did, so the problem is not just with our schools. Roy

We used to have an Education System that was the envy of the rest of the World - what happened...????? When I was young the way to a better way of life was education...schools were strict...we worked...homework was done and we sat exams - we had to remember facts, dates, authors, quotes...etc..etc....if we did a Maths problem and the answer was wrong, it was marked as wrong....we didn't get a 'tick' because our working out was right.......we did 'tables'....we did 'mental Arithmetic'....we used our brains.....use it or use it.....we had spelling tests....and I could go on...........

To be fair my hubby is bad example for my son. He had a family that didn't push him, he missed 2 years of primary school as he had glandular fever when he was 8 and nearly died. He scraped through his GCSE's - think he as 8 but only 4 at grade C and above. He failed his A-Levels most humourously Computer Studies. I went got 9 GCSE's Grade C and above, did my A-Levels and got my degree. He earns six grand more than me and works in computers. The graduates that work at his company are useless compared to him. Give him something to read on how to do something and he just learns it straight away and the graduates are still fumbling their way around. Guess it depends on the sort of person you get. But I would advise specifying in your job advert perhaps C grade for English and Maths if the job requires that level of attainment.

Pippa I can see your point.....we advertised for a general vacany and called for interview those who seemed well qualified....and of course one who has 9 GCSE's on their CV must be on our list.....our mistake

9 GCSEs sounds impressive until you find level and the subjects they are in. Is there perhaps a tet you could give at the interview to sort the wheat from the chaff thereby not discrimating against those who didn't do so well but could do the job. Hubby had to do tests for his job so would think that this is not unreasonable. I also think hubby is dyslexic but he doesn't want to explore the possibility as he feels that it is too late to do anything now.

The reason this person did not put their grades on their CV is because they know their qualifications are effectively worthless. At my former workplace, anyone who did not state their grades would have their application binned, as it was assumed they had lower grades than the advert stated. It was the same with people who did not have Maths, Science and English at GCSE C or above. Plenty of applicants reached those minimum requirements so we wouldn't waste our time on people who didn't or who made us guess.

Anything below a C is technically a 'Fail'. Most Universities (and some Employers) like at least a 'C' in Maths and English Language. Becx (Who has 10x A*-C)

No wonder you are now Ms Rebecca Batty - and all the title that comes afterwards Bec, you clever girl. Didn't you do well?

I got a d in engish,in 1990 and it was a pass.......... i got a u in maths failed............BUT i went to stage skoll(LOL)so not really something to go by!

No, I don't hink you're old fashioned. Most employers see Grade C and above as the only useful ones, but if, for instance, someone wanted to employ someone who had just a passing knowledge of French then a Grade D or even E might be enough. It's all a perspective really and employers can really call the tune. I agree that if I was interviewing and someone didn't put their grades on their application I wouldn't give them a second glance. There are too many people who aren't trying to bluff their way into a job withouth wasting time on the ones who are.

Carol, I absolutely agree with you that it is unacceptable for teachers to crush a child's self esteem. There is an important lesson that people seem not to be learning these days, however, and that is that none of us can succeed at everything. To fail at something need not crush us and children need to learn their limitations and that they cannot succeed at or have everything. Destroying someone's self esteem is unacceptable, but identifying a persons strengths and weaknesses and making the most of them is an entirely reachable goal. People need to know what they cannot do as well as what they can and as long as we try to identify every effort as 'deferred success', (some notion I heard about recently), I believe we are short-changing our children.

Beautifully put, Felicity. It's also important to identify and deal with our own weaknesses, as you say. I realised a long time ago that I would never be able to drive. I tried to learn several times and it just isn't for me, I would be a danger to others. I don't think it makes me any less of a person than anyone else because I know I have other strengths. I have other weaknesses that, with a bit of effort, I have been able to improve on but I was not destined to drive. It's important that we teach to the strengths in children and help them accept that weaknesses are part of the human condition. Gwynne

he'll be ok for NVQ ............. Not Very Qualified.