Exams easier? I don't think so!
Here we go again, writes our Teen Blogger Rhian. This year's 'A' level results are out and they show another improvement in pass rates and standards, which to older generations can only mean one thing- the exams are getting easier.
I've got another year to go before I shall be looking for my own good results, but I don't think exams are getting easier at all, it's just that the whole process keeps changing to accommodate new technology and information and more students sitting the exams.
Why would something my dad or grandad was taught necessarily be relevant to me in 2007?
The world has moved on and if there's a more modern and efficient way of handling examinations, what's wrong with using it?
Critics often point out that standards of spelling, grammar and punctuation are really poor amongst teenagers who have achieved good GCSE and A-level results. They say this is proof that exams standards have been lowered over the years, but that's rubbish.
It's probably true that texting on mobiles and having a computer program that checks spelling and grammar doesn't help, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that even the most successful and well known figures had problems with the English language - William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill amongst them (yes, contrary to popular belief, I do know who these people were despite being a teenager.)
In any case, as important as they are, exams are only one route to success. A lot of it has to do with determination, opportunity and luck.
The armed forces and national sports are other ways of getting ahead and I defy anyone to tell me that our soldiers and athletes aren't as good these days as they used to be.
