mod(eath)eration.

I suppose that's what everyone is hoping for now right? If you didn't, then I am guessing that you had either done terrificly well for your Prelims or that you simply don't give a damn about the entire matter at all. To be honest with you all, I must say sincerely that when I got back my results, I seriously prayed for moderation. That's because I've got at least 2-3 subjects that are just a wee bit less to get that elusive distinction. It is hard to get As I tell you.
But then, after I'd gotten back a few more papers, something snapped.
I started to despise moderation. I loathed it. I hated it. I'm revolted and disgusted of it.
I brought up the topic this morning to a few souls and they reacted with gusto. They argued that other schools were doing so and if Maris Stella didn't follow suit, her students would be at a losing end and this invariably means that less Marists will be able to enter their desired Junior Colleges. True. But with a cost.
I've got some people who are silently agreeing with my idea: that moderation is rather cheap. To those who had benefited, shaving 1-2 points from it, you must be feeling pissed now. Before I go on, I must say that I too was one of the "fortunate" bunch who managed to get some of the subjects moderated. Namely chemistry and perhaps humanities as well; but that's a big question mark still.
Moderation, I think, is meant to push up that CFC curve depicting results of students. In layman's term, it is aimed at helping students cutting down their L1R5. So in a way, moderation is like saying a white lie, depending on which side of the track you are at. Of course, there would be some souls who just don't give a f*** about the drawbacks of moderation; like the person who sits behind Dewei- he might just perhaps do just about anything to enter his top 5 JCs. I wish him luck, but doubt if my wishes would be recipocrated. He is just that.
Let me say firstly why I'm not so fond and affectionate of moderation.
I will be frank.
I think moderation is a nice word for the word 'cheat'. No? Let's take the example for Amath Paper in one of the previous years. It is said that half the cohort failed the paper because it was extremely difficult. A monster. As a result, the department decided to, naturally, moderate the results.
The formula: (square root) times 10.
Assuming that you are one of the few who slogged their hearts out, waking up early in the morning and perhaps sacrificing some of your free time to do that one or two more Amath papers to brush up your skills. You get an A2. Congratulations. Then there is this chap who plays all day and parties all night and alas! Gets 49 for his Math, a F9. Under the 'cheat' method, your resultant mark will be that of an A1 grade. Yahoo!. But then, using the same formula, that bloke who got 49 will now have 70. Essentially, he leap-frogged 7 grades. 7.
Of course I'm sure that this blokes are of the minority. Hopefully.
I too understand that shit happens; cause for me, it regularly does and I know how it feels.
Ask me again whether I feel moderation is justifiable, I would say I really don't know despite that strong paragraphs I had written above. Perhaps I was exaggerating that I would write to the Forum should Maris Stella consider using that formula to give students a thrust in their marks. I won't. But I will be pissed enough to curse and say the world ain't fair. But really, when was it?

FYI: the person sitting behind Dewei is getting on the nerves of quite a number of souls, including me. No, it's not about moderation. The underlining problem? I doubt if I'm in any position to say but I'm sure he doesn't know shit about it either.
Like he once infamously said "Friends are merely stepping stones to (his) success". For his sake, I hope he doesn't slip and break his neck.

I cannot give a crackdown of my marks yet because moderation is not complete yet. But I can safely say that because of that, I think I can shave off 2 points of my overall.
Some just don't get it, because of moderation, everyone would have such close points that it's almost impossible to get into their desired JCs. Of course they don't see it now, because they are just too blind.
I'm not sure if I could get the points I desire for O levels anymore. I was aiming for a miracle 7 but flopped here. I'm seriously contemplating about my course now.