General Chat

I applied for a position in one part of the department I am currently temping in.
I didn't get the job - or even an interview - which didn't bother me particularly, as I didn't really want to do THAT job!
However, another job has come up, that I'd really like to do, so I asked what went wrong on the first attempt.
Well, one thing was, they want grade A-C GCSE in English and Maths - and I never put what grades I had achieved.

Well, I have a Grade 'C' GCSE in maths - taken in 1996.
I also have (along with other subjects) a GCE 'O' level in English Language, taken in 1972..
I have a certificate - but it has no grade on it! :-S

I've just done some research - 'O' levels weren't graded until 1975 - you either passed or failed!

It could be awkward informing the 'youff' who will be assessing applicants, of this fact.

Could this insistence on having the grade be classed as ageism? :-D

O levels were graded, I got my results on a postcard from school with what grades I'd achieved some 10 yrs before 1975. The cert. however doesn't carry your grade BUT you didn't get a cert. if you failed so you have passed O level English Lang..

A pass at O level is as good as C or above pass in GCSE, remember there's just grades on GCSE, no pass or failure like GCEs, so grades are important.

Perhaps educating the department involved and a hint at discrimination might help you get to the interview. ;-) Good luck :-D

I took O levels in 1956 no grades were given. Civil service accepted them.

Grading when I was at school for O levels which informed you how well you had done.

top grade 1

pass 1 - 6 BUT NOT ON THE CERT.

fail 7 - 9 no cert. given

It could be that some authorities sent out postcards, and some didn't.
I suppose I may have received a postcard - but obviously never kept it!
Actually, we moved during my 'O' levels - the postcard could have been sent to the old address.
I have the certificate with my passes on - that's all.
Perhaps the score was put on the actual certificate after 1975

All my GCE O levels were graded in 1963 but maybe it depended on which board was used.
Ours came under the University of London exam board.

My O Levels were with the Joint Matriculation Board

Well, having my original certificate in front of me, I can definitely say there's no grades on it!
As for the grading you mention - this is from AQA - the people who can send you replacement certificates:

'GCE O-level (Ordinary level) subjects
From 1951 to 1962 students were recorded as having reached the Ordinary standard in subjects in which they were judged to have been successful. The required Pass mark was generally 45/100.
From 1963 to 1974 most exam boards used numbered grades 1-9, of which grade 1 was the highest and grade 9 the lowest, but these grades were not issued to students. Results which met the Ordinary standard (grades 1-6) were recorded as Pass.
From 1975 to 1987 attainment in an O-level subject was indicated by a grade A, B, C, D or E, of which grade A was the highest and grade E the lowest. Grades A, B and C represented the former O-level Pass. Grades D and E indicated a lower standard of attainment, but were still judged sufficient to be recorded on the certificate. Grade E or below was ungraded and not recorded on the certificate."

Note the second paragraph: "but these grades were not issued to students."

Now, had you requested a replacement of your certificate, It would have had your grades on it, but the original ones didn't.
If you'd requested a replacement before 1975, it would have had numbered grades, if you'd requested a replacement between 1975 and 1987 - it would have had lettered grades.
You obviously had a replacement certificate during this time.

What you personally ask for, from your recruits, is hardly relevant to large organisations who have to comply with the same system throughout to ensure a certain amount of fairness.

My O levels taken in 1964 were graded too like Pat says and our first notification was a postcard listing our grades 1-9. We were under the Oxford Board. The certificate we got later just listed the subjects passed with no grades shown and there was never any suggestion that we needed to keep the postcards which were just handwritten and not even signed or with any official stamp as far as I can remember. A quick google suggests an 0 level pass was equivalent to A*-C in a GCSE pass so you should be ok if you can convince the youff!

Maybe they weren't issued on the official certificate but they are wrong to say they weren't issued to students as I still have my postcard.

Annx I may have to direct the 'youff' to the AQA website - and remind him I have a degree in Education! :-D :-D :-D

Like I said - we moved halfway through my 'O' levels - so the postcard may have been misdirected or thrown out.

Or maybe it was lost in the post Maggie? I think the handwritten postcards were just for our own interest with them not saying we need keep them. I find on forms the council issue for Adult Education there is no mention of 0 levels where they ask about education levels. It's like we don't exist anymore! :-0 Yes you wave your degree at him! :-D

I sat my 'O' levels in 1964, they were issued by the Joint Matriculation Board.

No Grades, just "Reached the Pass Standard in the following Subjects'

Also I never received a postcard from the school or elsewhere.

As I thought - it probably depended on the authority to decide whether or not the grades were given afterwards, as, at the time, they weren't necessary when looking for a job.

just like so many others doing O levels, I had a paper round. The big difference was that I did mine in a van because I was 32.

:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
I did my GCSE at 30.