There is a change to the annual ritual. For about thirty years A level grades got steadily higher. Those of us who had to interview those with A*s at History who thought that Waterloo was a train station named after an Abba song knew that was because they were getting easier but when pointing this out were ritually abused as insulting hard working students and teachers who were so stressed out that they need 15 weeks holiday a year. This year the ritual is being tweaked.
After A levels go so easy that almost everyone got an A* it was decided to make them marginally harder this year. This would have meant that kids got lower grades and fewer passed and thus it emerged this weekend that, to avoid another outcry about how we are punishing hard working kids and stressed out teachers by posing vaguely challenging questions, the thresh-holds for getting top grades, or even passing, were being lowered. So marks may be down but more folks can get A*s like in the good old days and everyone gets to pass.
"Hooray! In Airstrip One no-one fails A levels because our schools are so fucking brilliant" said Big Brother and the people shouted back "and the teachers are so hard working they must all have a pay rise."
So the results will again show how hard working young people are and how brilliant our schools are - despite the evil Tories taking time off from eating babies to slash spending on everything that might benefit poor people. And that means that poor stressed out teachers, topping up their 15 weeks annual leave with some more INSET days and reading weeks, need to get even more pay rises. Especially that Primary School head in London on £205,000 a year - we need to pay to attract talent don't you know?
Anyone pointing out how ridiculous this new version of the annual charade is pilloried like a hapless CofE vicar who dares to break it to the little kids that Father Christmas is not in the bible and, also, just does not exist. It is one of those things that the left has come to view as a Thought Crime. I cannot remember the name of the woman on the BBC sofa discussing this yesterday but she was described as a "writer" and looked like a bloated hippopotamus. But like all of her ilk, any questioning of the data was viewed as sheer heresy.
Anyhow here are some facts from last year's running of this ritual which show the clear grade inflation but who cares about facts anymore? It is not as if you need to know any to get straight A*s in Airstrip One these days.