‘You may turn over your papers now.” For how many of us, decades after A-levels, does that phrase still cause a ripple of nerves in the stomach? Along with a large portion of the population, I have a recurring A-level anxiety dream: mine involves organic chemistry and a stack of unopened ring-binders.
It’s a cliche, of course, but peculiar perhaps to Britain. Our exams are especially high stakes. In most other rich countries, excepting America, grades matter less. French universities are mostly happy if you get your baccalaureate – the really grand ones demand extra study, but there is less emphasis on particular scores. In Germany, you need a school leaving certificate, and if you fail that you can do a foundation course to compensate. Here, though, one missed mark in a single three-hour stretch can alter the course of your life.
