Anyone currently involved in education, or who has been in the past, knows that one of the main problems with our education system in the UK today, is that, with everyone getting 'wonderful' results and all achieving As or A stars, it's virtually impossible to tell one student from another, academically speaking.
In music this was recognised some years back, when one university professor of music said he'd far sooner take a candidate with a Grade 8 in Practical Music + one in Theory, than someone with A level. There are so many variations and boards, that you can almost get by by avoiding actually playing or writing anything, so that the first year at uni is what most of us did in our sixth forms!
At least London's Imperial College has responded to the crap which our government churns out about rising standards, and will now make potential candidates take an entrance exam. They are clearly concerned with the need to continue to bring in the best students, which our system no longer accounts for. I hope other top outfits will do the same! You can read the article here!
I always remember my days with A levels. In the Arts, it was virtually impossible to get 3 straight As - only perhaps in the Sciences was this more achievable. We had one chap in our class who did this - and he's a professor of Maths at Oxford. Under today's system, they'd all expect to be Oxbridge dons!
