SA5 difficulty over the years

[Mesut]

Does anyone else find the level of difficulty of rhis subject has been increasing over the sittings?

 

[FloWesh]

Yes, sorry.
If it's any consolation, the same is happening with SA2.

 

[Mesut]

Good to know I'm not the only one seeing this. It would seem the days when all a good student needed to know was core reading to guarantee a pass are long gone!

 

[Jamjam1729]

Does anyone else find the level of difficulty of rhis subject has been increasing over the sittings?

Are we now allowed to discuss this sitting just gone? Or are some students still sitting it?

 

[Bidza]

I saw flames this sitting. I feel as if it's becoming the new SA6.

 

[Jamjam1729]

Certainly I'd be interested to hear Colin's take on this exam. Have ActEd tutors seen the papers yet? I really don't know how these things work

 

[Colin McKee]

Yes - we have seen the papers. On inspection, I agree that it was a tough paper. Very little bookwork, and not much "application of knowledge from the course".

 

[Jamjam1729]

I found the paper very challenging in real time. There were at least two question components that I'm 99.9% aren't in or alluded to in the Core Reading at all, though thankfully only for a mark each. The first two questions were very strange and the whole paper felt like a weird ST5/CA1/CT2/CT7 mashup rather than an SA5 paper. I know they can and do draw on those subjects, but I've never seen them do it to such an extent.

There were some OK sections but not many. I also suspect question three will prove extremely divisive. I didn't mind it so much though I thought 3)ii)b) was difficult. I have since realised what the question was getting at, but didn't in the exam and I tip my hat to anyone who did!

 

[Bidza]

Does anyone else find the level of difficulty of rhis subject has been increasing over the sittings?

I managed to pass it in the end. Thanks guys and all the tutors for the posts and replies