ViciousVip3R
Merchant of Death, Quest Log Fanatic
Well it varies for each teacher and each subject, but class marks are made up of assignments, quizzes and tests that you complete in class(The exact percentage that each is weighted also varies from teacher to teacher). The material that each teacher administers will be slightly different, but they all follow the same provincially determined curriculum. Now since it is not standardized, mark imbalances are a big problem, so even within the same school, an identical performance could net you a different mark depending on how easy your teacher marks. On top of that, the school I currently attend is one of the top public schools in the province, and it is known for it's academic excellence, so the teachers here hold you to a very high standard. This leads to problems where students in other schools have an advantage in that their marks are largely inflated compared to ours. For example, one of my friends who also used to attend the same school found himself struggling to keep up with the learning pace and increased difficulty and saw his marks drop as a result of that. After the first year he transferred to another public school which had a reputation for easy marks (this was my designated school based on location, they even explained that you are allowed to retake tests as many times as you want, or even "show your knowledge" using alternate methods such as creating a poster instead of writing a test) and saw his marks go up 20%+ while he started missing class since it was so "easy". This is by no means an unique occurrence, other people who have also transferred to this so called "easy school" have also seen their marks rise substantially. And this problem occurs across the province, I know people who live in small towns and they receive "easy marks" then go on to struggle in university since they have not been adequately prepared. So I guess there are pros and cons to either side.That's not far off, really, but we do have A levels in the sixth form that's usually the final say on what university you can get into, although apparently with the changes that have also been going on those, universities are putting more of a focus upon GCSE results as to who they give out their offers to. Which is no pressure.
Personally, it does benefit me to an extent because I rarely pay much attention in class, but it does also means that if you screw up in the exam you're kinda stuck with it :v What do you actually have to do for your class mark, though?
Don't fret, I've found that advanced programs are more for the experience than the marks, even if you just take regular calculus you will have equal, if not greater success. (Dropped out of Math IB, went from a 87% to 99%) Maybe one day you will look back and be glad that you dodged a bullet Same advice for the 3 AP classes, from what I've heard from friends in AP, yes there is a greater workload, but since you were able to take AP, the teachers believe you are qualified to do it. Also, don't procrastinate. (Nah, just kidding, I'm not qualified to say that, I'm a chronic procrastinator. But in all seriousness, if you plan and organize everything out before hand, you can minimize the amount of stress. Don't let the work build up, if your teacher gives you 2 weeks to do an assignment, start right away, there is a reason they gave you that much time.)I like how you guys are talking about school and here I am, depressed because can't take Calculus BC next year. I also should take 3 AP classes next year, which is... 3 MORE THAN I HAVE NOW.
Just my two cents