GCSE results - well done

Well done to those who've got their GCSE results this week. As with the A Levels, ignore people who say it was harder in their day. It was just different.

There's an interesting article by Mike Baker on the BBC website. He points out that one purpose of exams is "to show individuals what they are good at and what they are not so good at" because nowadays education and training doesn't usually stop at 16, and this could help with their career choice.

(Mind you, when I did O levels - the old equivalent - I didn't choose to carry on with the subjects I scored highest in, because something else interested me more - Editor)

Mike Baker makes the point though that people who score low in maths and English need to do something about it as "these grades indicate a need to improve these skills because literacy and numeracy skills will be essential for the future".

He sums it up neatly: "So exam grades are all about helping to identify strengths and weaknesses, about guidance towards further learning and future pathways. They are about the here and now. So, questions about how today's examination results compare with the past are, frankly, of little relevance. "