You know how Nanny hates the use of the word "failure", don't you?She has this funny idea that everyone must be constantly told that they are successful, and shielded from life's realities. See "Nanny Bans Failure"
The unfortunate consequence of this is that she has created a nation of immature self centered dullards, who are incapable of managing their own lives and cannot face the slightest set back.
Don't believe me?
Watch any "reality" TV show, to see the inbred ignorance and immaturity that Nanny has fostered. A fine example being the "healthy eating" shows, where an "adult" is presented with something as radical as a dish of vegetables. See that "adult" turn their nose up, and throw a tantrum like a small child, as they bleat "but I don't eat vegetables".
Pathetic!
Anyhoo, Nanny has continued her efforts to eradicate "failure" from our society.
It seems that teenagers needed marks of only 47%, to score a top A* grade in the GCSE business studies paper set by AQA this year. That means they could get a stunning 53% of the paper wrong, for those of you with recent A grades in maths, and still be classified as the best.
Pupils taking one maths paper set by Edexcel, worth 25% of the total exam grade, were required to only get a mark of 16% for a C grade.
Outstanding!
Only 45%, or less, was needed to get a grade C on more than 100 GCSE papers set by the AQA exam board.
Nanny has set her sprites and elves to work in defending these atrocious results, her chums at Edexcel said:
"Students have to perform consistently across all stages to gain the grade.
Edexcel's chief examiners and accountable officer are confident that the grade boundaries this year are commensurate with boundaries from past years.
To gain the maths GCSE students have to sit seven tests and submit one piece of coursework."
That is missing the point, if the pass rate is going up the exams must be getting easier.
Sorry Nanny, the entire purpose of exams is not to educate but to stream; a sad fact of life that may be!
Education comes from the day to day work performed in schools, at home and later (if the individual deserves it) in university.
This story is nonsense. No way can your average A grade student do 100-47 !
ReplyDeleteAh, but the whole point is that people who eat vegetables can become bright later - henece the public service message offered by the programs you refer to. (Great casting - where do they find these people? - but boringly repetitive scripts.)
ReplyDeleteThe message is obvious and fits with the casting. For example, find a bint who has bought a 'qualification' from a self recognised 'college' in the states and is prepared to adopt the title 'Doctor'. Create a TV model, seek out some extrovert and overwieght actors or would be actors, do the script and the message comes across.
Early failure can be turned into media success using the correct formula and a fair amount of funding. It's a hugely significant scientific development displaying robust levels of popular acceptance and strong links to evidence of human stupidity. But above all the public find the content compelling, apparently.
I find I am compelled to leave the room if ever I find myself in the vicinity of such a program. I try to persuade others that they might consider the same course of action. And a bacon butty.