Dumber A Levels ???

by Craig Chapman - 08:26 on 16 August 2008

So where do we stand on the supposed “Dumbing Down of A Level Standards ?”  

There are some good arguments from both sides. Certainly when I took my O levels in 1979, I sailed through my mock exams with straight As but struggled like hell in the actual exams because we simply had not covered much of the contents presented from an authority outside of our school gates. Guys who have gone on to become research chemists, university dons and barristers had a number of re-takes that year, as the County swapped from AEB to JMB or vice versa, half way through the year. 

What we certainly see these days are exams based upon the exact details of what has been taught religiously for the past 2 year course. If the examinees are passing these tests with flying colours, then they are doing all that is asked of them. We are also seeing many teachers being guided to teach specifically, these required aspects. The whole system is set-up to achieve high grades. 

The questions however start to form when :- 

i) the pass marks are noted – as low as 60% for an A grade ??? I recall A grades as being for scores over 80% in the 1970s. 

ii) some of the subjects being passed – certain exams and courses allow up to 4 passes for one subject, none of them being Maths, English or a Science.   

iii) the number of teachers leaving their profession due to stress, indiscipline of students and a complete lack of belief in what they are being tasked to do – things can’t be as rosy as the government make out. 

iv) Several universities also setting entrance exams as they obviously do not trust the levels presented by the schools system. 

All is obviosuly not well, somewhere along the line.

It is quite possibly true that many children are a lot sharper minded thanks to the number of interactive apparatus that they use on a daily basis – computers, mobiles, gaming toys etc. These only really came into play during the 1990s. The ability to focus wholly on one subject as a direct result of such introductions has some benefits, whereas the more natural surroundings of generations before will possibly mean that the direct focus is not always as sharp, but the wider perspective and ability to “not get bored” so easily, is an equally beneficial attribute, though not necessarily in an exam situation. 

The “bored” factor is a big consideration. The amount of adrenalin produced during one Gameboy-type game is massively out of proportion to the level of physical exercise being taken. Perhaps we face a generation with repetitive thumb injuries ahead ? Again, that focus practice is very “exam” friendly. 

The whole situation can be represented in statistical form that can be manipulated to prove two complete opposites and the government will always utilise these figures as they wish, regardless of whether children are getting a better or worse education.

Our country certainly needs more people who can initiate and develop an idea, rather than an endless team of carers and legal vultures to hug those who become emotionally unstable through the stress of failure, boredom or addictions. Unfortunately, there are certainly more of the former group graduating from our universities. 

Popular Alliance does not wish to produce more wholesale changes to our education system as the constant chopping and changing does no-one any favours and it makes comparisons even harder to justify.  

We do wish to give a lot more support and power to teachers regarding discipline in the classroom and lessen the endless stream of reports, proformas and forms that they face.

We are in favour of more focus on the more beneficial subjects (Maths, English, Sciences, Foreign Languages) and less so towards subjects such as Sociology and perhaps some of the less worthwhile Arts used as simply as a cheap pass by students who are not going to utilise such skills in their future employment. At least 50% of students and graduates appearing on The Weakest Link are pulled apart by Ann Robinson when she questions the relevance of their studies to their future plans. Being clever is not much use without having common sense and focus. I very much doubt that many Chinese Universities offer Sociology degree courses !!

We are certainly not in favour of the latest reports of 1 in 9 students (of all ages) that do not have English as their first language. We do accept that many of these children do achieve good grades, but at what price ? The additional budget for a school to cope and the lack of focus on our nation’s language is a major factor in the drop in standards of reading and writing. Whilst a foreign child’s parents may argue that their child is gaining through learning 2 languages, the rest of the class is being slowed down and distracted. Popular Alliance is in favour of giving the best advantage to the majority, not the minority. 

So, are exams being dumbed-down for political and statistical gain – yes, undoubtedly. 

Are our children suffering as a result ? Perhaps not always directly or individually, but the country as a whole certainly is.

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