When I took my GCE “A” levels, a little over 50 years ago I got two B’s and a C. These were good marks. Only the top 1% of candidates got an A, and three or more A’s were very rare. Most Universities required C’s and D’s as entrance requirements with only a few went as high as Bs.
Today (10th August 2021) it was announced that around 45% of students got an A or A* grade.
We must have been really dim back then!
Anyway I wrote this little story about where we might be in 2045 if the grade inflation continues unchecked
10th August 2045
My daughter’s exam results came today. She got three AAA++**s and one AAA++. She is mortified. She could understand what happened in her pop music studies (the one where she only got an AAA++) as she did not realise there were more questions on the other side of the paper and so she only answered two of the five questions. But she was really expecting to be in the alphas for the other two
She needed at least three AAA/alpha+*s and one AAA++** to get a place at the University she wanted to go to. Now if she really wants to go to Uni, she will either have to resit all of her exams or apply to one of the grade 2 or grade 3 Universities. A degree from any of these will only qualify her for minimum wage jobs like a shop assistant or a nurse.
But she may decide not go to Uni. She looks quite presentable and has quite a good voice so she’ll probably have a go at making it in the music business. Alternatively, she may try to be a professional net ball player. England’s win in the Olympics last year has really inspired here. The problem is it has inspired lots of other girls as well. All will be competing for a place on a professional team.
In any case it looks like I’ll be supporting her through to her mid thirties. Things have certainly changed. Like most of my generation, I managed to move out of my parents house by the time I was twenty nine.
I have also expressed some of my views on education here