Wordability

According to the BBC today:

. . . students starting A-level courses in September will become the first to be eligible for the new A* grade when they are awarded to those attaining more than 90% in 2010.

The change followed criticism that the rise in the number of A grades at A-level meant universities could no longer spot the brightest students.

Last year, 25.3% of A-level entries in the UK were awarded an A grade, with 96.9% of entries graded from A to E (pass).

Anthony McClaran, chief executive of Ucas, the body which handles undergraduate applications to UK universities, said: “As with every year, some people will inevitably claim that A-levels are getting easier but we shouldn’t really take away from the hard work of those students who have done well in their results today.

“It is difficult to compare the A-levels of today with those of 40 years ago as the world is quite a different place.”

Sure is. It gets more and more like Lake Woebegon, where “all the children are above average.”