Apolytirion Lykeio equivalent to English exams

[Castaway]

I am just beginning to realise how badly the Greek Goverment represents its students. It would appear that the British and Greek ministries of Education in discussing the equivalent value of the Apolytirion have, in my opinion, greatly undervalued the efforts of their students. I was informed by a UK university yesterday that they had referred to the NARIC site which says the an Apolytirion grade 16 is equal to ONE AS level! Whats more a 17.5 is equivalent to ONE A level!
How can this be, our children are studying for 3 years, in considerable depth, 7 subjects on which they are then tested in their Panellinies AND school exams and study 8 other subjects as well..... how can that be equated to one A level. I now understand why some universities ask for the Apolytirion PLUS 2 other A levels. I have watched friends struggle with the university application palava but now understand what they are up against.
Shheeesh, does any one have any advice about convincing a UK university just what a child has had to do to get a 16/17 in the Apolyterion? Does anyone have any proof that that is really how the Apolytirion equates to Englsih exams. I have googled till Im blue in the face and cannot find any comparison sites.

[nikanne]

Hi Sue, yes this is a difficult subject!! When I was looking into uni for my son in Edinburgh they just asked for apolytirio with 17 or more, this doesnt really mean much as everyone gets an apolytirio it is very difficult not to. My sons marks for school were 18.5 but then they add the marks from the panellinices exams which took his overall mark down. I think the universities should probably be going by these marks as it is what the kids need to get into university here.

[Castaway]

Hi Sue, yes this is a difficult subject!! When I was looking into uni for my son in Edinburgh they just asked for apolytirio with 17 or more, this doesnt really mean much as everyone gets an apolytirio it is very difficult not to. My sons marks for school were 18.5 but then they add the marks from the panellinices exams which took his overall mark down. I think the universities should probably be going by these marks as it is what the kids need to get into university here.

I dont think its just the marks that are the problem.The ministry for education has to reassess the standard that our children are achieving. I do not accept that a 16 Apolytirion eqauls ONE AS level. You will have noticed that a university that asks for only 2 A levels, not even with a very high pass asks for an Aploytition 17/18 the same as others that are asking English children for 3 good pass A levels.. I would love someone to be able to explain that to me too.

[nikanne]

the standard of education is actually higher here than it is in the UK, my frind is a university lecturer and the maths my son ws doing in Lykeio was equivalent to first year degree maths at uni, I also cant understand the way the universities ask for the same mark whatever you want to study, would love to speak to some greek people who have gone to uni in the UK and find out with what marks they got in, and what they were studying, will try to find out more.

[Castaway]

the standard of education is actually higher here than it is in the UK, my frind is a university lecturer and the maths my son ws doing in Lykeio was equivalent to first year degree maths at uni, I also cant understand the way the universities ask for the same mark whatever you want to study, would love to speak to some greek people who have gone to uni in the UK and find out with what marks they got in, and what they were studying, will try to find out more.

I think you will find a lot of them paid up to 2000 euro (yes that is fact) to get someone else to play the system, do their applications and get them in or they waired till clearing. I agree with what you have said and I know that my daughters studies are not at AS level.

[nikanne]

have you been in touch with any of the universities? I found that they varied hugely between england and scotland for what they wanted. My son could have gone to Heriot Watt or Napier universities in Edinburgh with his marks but not the same course in England!!! In the end he decided to stay here but didnt even get into uni, only TEI!!!

[Castaway]

have you been in touch with any of the universities? I found that they varied hugely between england and scotland for what they wanted. My son could have gone to Heriot Watt or Napier universities in Edinburgh with his marks but not the same course in England!!! In the end he decided to stay here but didnt even get into uni, only TEI!!!

Only the one that has come back unsuccessful , who was the one that enlightened me about the Naric assessment of the Apolytirion.... how can we approach the others now, before they assess her application? Bournemouth put her straight in the not interested pile without reading any of her application once they saw her predicted (guessed) mark. She is unlilkley to get many, if any, provisional acceptances if they see her predicted mark as 1 AS level are they? Whats was your sons predicted grade, bearing in mind the application process has changed even from last year to this.

[Assimilate]

I'm not sure I follow this subject, so bear with me if this sounds ignorant. A friend of ours, daughter recently finished a degree at Oxford. She was one of only 2 foreigners, the other being German, for her course. Now I don't know what apolytirio she was awarded, but from what you say anything wouldn't of been enough for Oxford. I do know that she took an entrance exam and was admitted from the results of that.

So
a: Is the apolytirio relevant if you can just take an entrance exam?
b: I would say from her results the studying paid off anyway as she was awarded a place at Oxford.

[Castaway]

I'm not sure I follow this subject, so bear with me if this sounds ignorant. A friend of ours, daughter recently finished a degree at Oxford. She was one of only 2 foreigners, the other being German, for her course. Now I don't know what apolytirio she was awarded, but from what you say anything wouldn't of been enough for Oxford. I do know that she took an entrance exam and was admitted from the results of that.

So
a: Is the apolytirio relevant if you can just take an entrance exam?
b: I would say from her results the studying paid off anyway as she was awarded a place at Oxford.

A friend of mine applied to Cambridge, the difference there is the apllications are done separately much earlier than the normal 15th jan he was asked to do an essay and was then asked for an interview, all of this without discussing his predicted mark, though he knew that to get in he had to get a 19.... sadly he was finally turned down but at least he was assessed on his own merit. This what is so confusing, presumably you need to be invited to take an entrance exam? To be invited they have to be sufficiently impressed with your application? I guess Oxford has a similar system as Cambridge.
It is true many Greek Children study in the UK, I wish I knew how!

[KP]

I don't know..... all this education will make our kids go crazy.... I know I'm going crazy just paying for it all for my daughter at Edinburgh, and the thought of another 3 years yet!

What's wrong with being uneducated? What's wrong with sitting in the cafenion with your mates and beloved donkey all day supping one cup of metrio? Now THAT's a skill you can't learn at any uni! This is Greece after all and the greatest minds of the world just sat in cafenions, or under olive trees, or even in their baths, thinking and working out the answers to everything. There were no universities around then! But then what do they do when they've worked it all out? They go and start the first universities!!! Bizarre!!! Why couldn't they have just pointed people into the direction of nice shady olive trees to sit under, favourite cafenions to argue in, or baths to sit in so that they too could have their 'Eureka' moment?
But no.... they had to spoil it all by starting this 'education' malarky and look where it's got us? Well don't get me started on THAT one!

So..... save your kids all that pain, anguish and brain rot..... save yourselves a lot of money..... just give them a few euro for the cafenion to enjoy with their donkeys and friends and buy them a nice comfy bath and let nature take it's course!

Vote KP & Jack for education and children's ministers!!! YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE!

[nikanne]

His predicted grade was about 17, they had accepted him without an interview or entrance exam, the only stipulation was a good english certificate(cambridge exam) which he has. His actual apolytirio without his panellinies was 18.5 but he didnt do well in his exams and it took him down to around 14 !!

[Castaway]

Well, progress of sorts.
My daughter did quite well in her triminon school report and exams 17.3.
So I rang UCAS who agreed that should be an indicator that she will do at least that in her Apolytirion ( they have no idea how the system works and that the panellinies will pull that mark down) she also suggested ringing NARIC to confirm what the equivalents are. She also suggested that her referee write an appendage to her referrence, amending her prediction and send this to each University that we have applied to, asking them to allow the amended prediction using her school exam results as evidence that this is justified.

At least I can now clarify how the Apolytirion is equated a 16 equates to AS standard , not ONE AS level, just generally AS standard and that anything 17 and above is counted as A level.

That makes it clearer as to why all Universities ask for 17/18's.

We are now doing as suggested, hoping that the Universities will allow this amendment to her prediction, which will at least put her in with a fighting chance.

Heads up, anyone else doing University applications always put the Apolytirion prediction as 17 and above if you want a university to even look at the application!

[nikanne]

that sounds more positive, I thought that was the case, they take 17/18 as an entrance mark, probably equivelant to three a levels or such, the only problem is that the panellinies really pull that mark down if they dont do well! as I said my son had a high end of year mark but when they added the exam marks it brought it right down, tell her to really study hard for the six or seven subject in panellinies and not to worry about the other school exams because most of the teachers give the kids a high mark whether they do well or not.

[Castaway]

that sounds more positive, I thought that was the case, they take 17/18 as an entrance mark, probably equivelant to three a levels or such, the only problem is that the panellinies really pull that mark down if they dont do well! as I said my son had a high end of year mark but when they added the exam marks it brought it right down, tell her to really study hard for the six or seven subject in panellinies and not to worry about the other school exams because most of the teachers give the kids a high mark whether they do well or not.

Thanks. The positive will be if the univeresities accept the amended predicted result!
Yes you are right, I dont know what its like elsewhere, but here, school has given up teaching, depending entirely on whyat they learn in frontisirio, where that is exactly the advice she hads been given.

[Laura]

Hi both