Young NCB: Comment - Don't forget students who worked for their A
grades
By Viran Pandya
Children Now
31 August 2005
The publication of this year's A-level results has incited claims that exams were "dumbed down" and too easy to be taken seriously. As the proportion of passes reaches 95 per cent, with 22 per cent of pupils now getting A grades compared to nine per cent in 1970, one would think these are encouraging statistics. It seems not.
Indeed, for many of the more able students, pressure exists to prove
their academic superiority by not only achieving straight A grades, but
also taking more subjects as well as qualifications such as advanced
extension awards where only merits and distinctions are given in single
subjects....