CorpComms Magazine

So the exam controversy has kicked off again, has it?

retty much. Another academic year, another accusation of grade inflation. This year a Southwark-based five year old gained a grade C at GCSE maths, prompting a renewal of the shrill cries that the nation's exams are getting easier.

Isn't there something to it?

Well, either that or kids are evolving. Twenty-three per cent of GCSEs were awarded an A or A* this year, compared to just nine per cent in 1988 when the exams were introduced. The A-level pass rate is at 98 per cent, rising for the 28th year running. Over one quarter of entries received an A or above.

Didn't they introduce some new A-level supergrade to give the strongest students an edge?

They tried that, but even the mark intended to single out exceptional achievement has become fairly run of the mill, with one in 12 A-level exams being awarded the new A* grade.

A generation of geniuses, genii, bright young things?

Possibly. Maybe teaching standards are improving. Or syllabuses are more geared towards exams. Perhaps awareness of the paucity of graduate jobs is lighting a fire under school pupils' behinds. Maybe nutrition is the key; Turkey Twizzlers were all that was holding earlier generations back and Jamie Oliver's introduction of Omega 3s onto school menus is at the heart of the university admissions scramble.

Either way, what's the problem?

Children are working increasingly hard to gain results that are less and less respected. One sticky wicket is that all these fuzzy grade boundaries are making life very difficult for university admissions departments. Already swamped with applicants, many are turning to interviews to identify the most able candidates.

Is there an alternative?

Private schools are increasingly opting out of the process altogether and adopting the broader and arguably more rigorous International Baccalaureate which demands that students continue mathematics, science, foreign languages and humanities until they leave school at 18, often giving their pupils a competitive edge.

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