The really annoying thing for me is that I have an Irish leaving certificate, however this qualification is terribly underestimated in the UK. I got a total of 450 pts (considered very high in Ireland), the UCAS equivalent is 297 pts. But for some reason after having applied to Uni in the UK for aerospace eng. while hoping to get on a pilot programme in the meantime, I was told I would have to do a foundation year due to my grades (despite Bs in maths and physics) !!!! Need i say i was furious.
Now I have seen the english A-level maths and physics exams and being totally honest with myself, there is absolutely no difference between them and the LC.
I have also spoken to many teachers who agree.
Now my point is that I am at a huge disadvantage because of this unfair system. Because say if I apply to BA and they look at my grades, then also discover I was made do a foundation year. Theyre gonna look to the fdn year and Will most definitely lose all interest in me based on me doing it. Clearly this is going to be one hell of a putoff for BA and my application will be out the window simply because the LC exams are wrongly deemed to not be to A level standard. I also forgot to add that in ireland we do 7 a-levels.
Now it ain't BA's fault that UCAS or NARIC don't value the LC enough, but my point is also that raising the educational bar so high gets rid of many perfectly competent applicants who (like me) are at a total disadvantage simply because of their type of exams done. Meaning that despite excellent grades, some people are out of the race before the applications even open. I mean the LC were the highest level of exams I could do, its not as though i opted out of A-levels.