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LightningFist
post Jan 23 2011, 12:15 PM

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In India or Africa they sometimes take CIE/Edexcel GCE A levels (as well as IGCSE or O levels). Only very few countries have their own versions (which means people outside do not take them because the exam boards aren't international). For example, Singapore's A levels, and their Singapore-GCE O levels, or Hong Kong A levels.
nicky87
post Jan 24 2011, 07:33 AM

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QUOTE(LightningFist @ Jan 22 2011, 02:13 AM)
I have not applied to companies in the UK (as I am not living there) but I am working for a multinational British company (in the financial services industry, headquartered and centered in the UK) here in Malaysia.

I am aware of the high quality that top companies in the UK (like the multinationals, as you said) look for - I just did not know that all of them (or very many, like you say) applied a stringent system which removed applicants for graduate schemes with less than 300 points on the UCAS tariffs.

Surely 300 points is not equal to ABB and AAB at the same time. AAB is equal to 340 points and ABB is equal to 320 points, so what are you on about? As for A*s (worth 140 points each), you only need to revisit your post above to see how odd (and incorrect) your comment was regarding A*s.

BBB would satisfy the 300 points requirement, and a number of Cs, Ds, and Es could as well - which is sort of why the tariff system fails - if no limits are imposed. But we are not debating the tariff system.

I'm starting to doubt everything else you say, based on your comments on the grades and their points value. Could you even prove what you say about the UCAS tariff points minimum requirement of 300 for the graduate schemes of the companies you applied to is true? After all, you bizarrely speak of A*s at A level, then say 300 is equal to both ABB and AAB at the same time, when neither are.

You say you've completed your 1st class degree but failed to obtain employment, and that you're now doing a Masters at a top 10 UK university. You then claim that you believe British employers won't care that you're doing the Masters at the top 10 school because you haven't got 300 points (a BBB) or ABB or AAB - how do you know this? You haven't applied post-Masters, have you? Surely a student with a first class undergraduate degree from a possibly recognisable school, who also did a Masters at a top 10 school, can get one interview from all the multinational financial companies in the UK? Exactly what "top 10" school is this?

Online applications sometimes fail because they are online applications. Have all your attempts at meeting with/calling agents, staffing people, recruiters, HR staff, and managers failed? Is this your fault? I know how the online forms work (gone through them myself, obviously not for graduate schemes but for similar programmes at a lower level for multinationals) and they really don't work all that well - this can't be helped. There are other ways apart from online applications.

Admittedly there are easier options than A levels, but aren't A levels an easy enough option? Would you rather take a foundation or a less recognised pre-university qualification only to realise that it is not well-liked by British (or some other) universities, and that you have little chance of enrolling in the famous/reputable/highly ranked school of your choice? IB students argue IB is difficult as well, and even people who don't take STPM claim it is extremely hard. Apart from twinning programmes (which won't get you way up there with the best of British universities) or direct degree foundations (only common with lower ranked universities), I don't see many brighter choices, really.

You stress the importance of academics. Undergrad degree results are academics. If they are really impressive, surely they hold some clout in your profile? Poor GCSEs/IGCSEs/O levels do not often hold back a student with outstanding A level/IB results, and so "poor" A level results should not hold back a student with a Masters (presumably a good one) from a top 10 British school (for British employers, that is) and excellent undergrad results.
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First off I am not exactly looking for an online debate/fight... that was my opinion that unless you get strings of A's you will not get looked at. I believe you are adding A*'s into the eqn that is how 300UCAS points is not ABB... for my year of Alvls 300UCAS points is ABB B=80 so 80x2 160 then A is 140 so it's 300 isn't it... A*'s are something new and I admit I don't know much about them. Getting a job for a british multinational in Malaysia doesn't require you to show your alvl results... in general in malaysia I believe A-levels results are not significant... just your degree and SPM. Which is why I did not worry too much about my alvls results however it turns out that here they vet applicants according to a-levels and not o-levels. Academics will only get you the interview however after that it's not about academics anymore it's a level playing field... if you wish to doubt my statements please do a search on basic firms and look at their UCAS point requirement... such as Accenture (340UCAS), Big 4 (300 UCAS) mind you it must be fore graduate schemes.

Also I cannot go to agents because I do not hold a right to work in the UK. You can only register with an agent after you get your PSW Visa... which is about to be abolished so that avenue is out. Yes I have went to networking events and talked to recruiters. What they tell you is just apply online and if you meet the requirement we'll contact you. You can call anyone you like they will all tell you to apply online... everything is online here even if you want to apply for temporary work in Primark you HAVE TO apply online and complete their online test. I must add that it is hard to find jobs also because of the new limitations in Tier1 visas thus competition increases and unless you have good alvls results or it's equivalent... meaning local college foundations work as well. So to me I rather get a string of HD's in foundation than get four C's in alvls... the former would get you into the next round and that is the online assessment tests. Everything said if you aim to work in Malaysia then go ahead with alvls it's not a significant component probably but I think those who want to attempt to find a job in the UK specifically should consider this as a factor.
LightningFist
post Jan 24 2011, 08:07 AM

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It has since changed, A=120 not 140, and B=100. BBB is now 300 points. Certain boards (i.e. CIE) have made it easier to score B or better and A or better after introducing A* so the tariffs reflect that accurately, though the tariffs are imprecise in general for mostly everything.

Yes, I am aware of the recent actions taken by the government and the proposed plans that are set to be implemented after Jan 2011... it's unfortunate.

I just think (however dire your situation) that a string of As aren't always needed. Yes, most people have to slug it out in offices like some of us do, and yes, graduate schemes are hiring freshers so A level results still matter to them, and they filter candidates with certain minimum scores. If they use a 340 points filter, then A*AC, A*BB, A*AEE, A*BDE, A*CCE, AAB, AADE, ABCE, ABDD, BCCC etc would've been enough.


Added on January 24, 2011, 9:51 amTo those who question A levels and the differences between exam boards, this is what CIE says to the question "What is the difference between CIE and OCR GCE AS/A levels":

< The level is the same, as CIE's qualifications are aligned with OCR (our sister organisation and a leading UK exam board). However, there are a few key differences:

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Cambridge International A Levels are specifically designed to suit the needs of an international student body.
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Contexts or examples used in Cambridge syllabuses and question papers are culturally sensitive in an international context.
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In some cases, CIE has developed country specific variants to meet local needs, for example in Brunei CIE developed a suite of Religious Studies Cambridge International A Levels focusing on Islam and the Quran.
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Cambridge International A Level is used as the national qualification in a number of countries, for example Mauritius and Brunei.
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There is a much wider range of subjects available at Cambridge International A Level, for example the wide range of languages offered.

The UCAS UK Qualifications Handbook Entry for Cambridge International A and AS Levels states that they are acceptable at grades A* to E in lieu of UK GCE A and AS Level on a subject-­for-­subject and grade-­for-­grade basis.

It should be noted that Cambridge International A Levels are different in structure from UK A Levels. Whereas UK A and AS Levels are modular and students can retake individual components, the Cambridge International A Levels have a linear structure which encourages a more integrated study of the entire subject. Most students take all their Cambridge International A Level papers in one series. Students who take Cambridge International AS Level first and then want to retake it must generally take the whole of the Cambridge International AS Level. >

So yeah, basically the British (and overseas) schools have come to accept CIE's or Edexcel's A levels (or O levels or GCSEs or IGCSEs) as the same as those taken in the UK (even if they may be harder). All that matters is you do it and do it well.


This post has been edited by LightningFist: Jan 24 2011, 09:51 AM
TSmumu93
post Jan 24 2011, 11:09 PM

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QUOTE(LightningFist @ Jan 24 2011, 08:07 AM)
It has since changed, A=120 not 140, and B=100. BBB is now 300 points. Certain boards (i.e. CIE) have made it easier to score B or better and A or better after introducing A* so the tariffs reflect that accurately, though the tariffs are imprecise in general for mostly everything.

Yes, I am aware of the recent actions taken by the government and the proposed plans that are set to be implemented after Jan 2011... it's unfortunate.

I just think (however dire your situation) that a string of As aren't always needed. Yes, most people have to slug it out in offices like some of us do, and yes, graduate schemes are hiring freshers so A level results still matter to them, and they filter candidates with certain minimum scores. If they use a 340 points filter, then A*AC, A*BB, A*AEE, A*BDE, A*CCE, AAB, AADE, ABCE, ABDD, BCCC etc would've been enough.


Added on January 24, 2011, 9:51 amTo those who question A levels and the differences between exam boards, this is what CIE says to the question "What is the difference between CIE and OCR GCE AS/A levels":

< The level is the same, as CIE's qualifications are aligned with OCR (our sister organisation and a leading UK exam board). However, there are a few key differences:

    *
      Cambridge International A Levels are specifically designed to suit the needs of an international student body.
    *
      Contexts or examples used in Cambridge syllabuses and question papers are culturally sensitive in an international context.
    *
      In some cases, CIE has developed country specific variants to meet local needs, for example in Brunei CIE developed a suite of Religious Studies Cambridge International A Levels focusing on Islam and the Quran.
    *
      Cambridge International A Level is used as the national qualification in a number of countries, for example Mauritius and Brunei.
    *
      There is a much wider range of subjects available at Cambridge International A Level, for example the wide range of languages offered.

The UCAS UK Qualifications Handbook Entry for Cambridge International A and AS Levels states that they are acceptable at grades A* to E in lieu of UK GCE A and AS Level on a subject-­for-­subject and grade-­for-­grade basis.

It should be noted that Cambridge International A Levels are different in structure from UK A Levels. Whereas UK A and AS Levels are modular and students can retake individual components, the Cambridge International A Levels have a linear structure which encourages a more integrated study of the entire subject. Most students take all their Cambridge International A Level papers in one series. Students who take Cambridge International AS Level first and then want to retake it must generally take the whole of the Cambridge International AS Level. >

So yeah, basically the British (and overseas) schools have come to accept CIE's or Edexcel's A levels (or O levels or GCSEs or IGCSEs) as the same as those taken in the UK (even if they may be harder). All that matters is you do it and do it well.
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I've been trying to find the in-depth difference between the two boards since i was contemplating on which to choose. You made my work easier smile.gif Thanks so much!
sakon7
post Jan 24 2011, 11:45 PM

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If you get 9a in spm i think Tarc will give full scholarship?
nicky87
post Jan 25 2011, 08:18 AM

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QUOTE(sakon7 @ Jan 24 2011, 11:45 PM)
If you get 9a in spm i think Tarc will give full scholarship?
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Yes they will give you a scholarship. Whether it's full I'm not 100% sure because it's been a long time back when i was in TARC 9A's earns you a full scholarship. However you need to bear in mind you need to pass all their mock exams and an explanation will be asked for should you fail any one subject even by 1 mark.

@LightningFist: Yeah I realised it has changed with the addition of A*'s and to be exact I was thinking about his last night I made a mistake about how much a B is back then... for me at least a B is 90points and an A is 120points so ABB is 180+120 which makes 300points. I believe recruitment at the moment is still basing their UCAS points based on the pretense that there are no A*'s cause that batch has yet to start to join the work force. I believe they will change the minimum point requirement with this change. But that is to be seen.

Also your combinations have to be only 3 subjects they take your best three subjects. so combinations which provide 300points with 4 subjects are not considered.

I do agree that a string of A's is not everything however as an international student you need the string of A's because employers have to be able to justify to the UKBA that they believe that you are better than what is available to them (I.e. the UK and EU students who are higher up the pecking order).

Slogging is a given not just for some of us but all of us I think because we're young and inexperienced. Even with a masters in hand I personally do not expect to be paid more or held in a higher regard. I only took a masters so that it will help in future career advancement not at the early stages. I think it's better to study while you still can cause I do realise as we get older it becomes harder to absorb new things... bad memory and all.
yukichang14
post Mar 26 2013, 12:57 PM

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Btw, the lecturer are quite good for me! ^^
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[/quote]


did u mean the lecturer at TARC?

yukichang14
post Mar 26 2013, 01:01 PM

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QUOTE(nicky87 @ Jan 21 2011, 12:33 PM)
I studied in TARC personally won't recommend it... it's cheap though i probably paid 7k in total although it was like 5-6 years ago... not sure how much is it now... if you value your future just don't... also don't attempt alvls unless you are VERY SURE u can score A*'s or at least AAB BBA in that sort of combination especially if you intend to try and work in the UK... anything less it will be a hindrance to your success... i am suffering the consequences right now as i type this... I hope that no one has to go through what I am going through right now... even with a first class honours degree no one would consider me because of my alvls in the UK.
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do u mean like TARC is not a good place to be studied?

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