A-Level ritual time

Thursday, 19 August 2004, 10:53

It’s A-Level results day here in Britain. And that means it’s time for the annual August ritual debate about whether the 20-year-old trend of improving marks means the British secondary school exams are getting easier. In response, the the former Chief Inspector of Schools, Mike Tomlinson, is talking about adding a 4,000 essay to the A-Level requirements to help universities differentiate between applicants with high A-Level scores. An “extended essay” of this length is already a requirement in the International Baccalaureate, which I took when I left high school (gulp!) seven years ago. For purely selfish reasons, I wish Britain would just adopt the IB in toto. This would save me from constantly having to explain my educational credentials on job applications.

Entry Filed under: Politics,UK