My day, in 1990, went something like this

Woke, washed, ate breakfast. Checked post. No mail.

Eldest brother arrived suggesting a day out to Blackpool.

Went to Blackpool.

Came home.

Discovered “Friend” had gone to the school on “my behalf” and got my results for me (even though I had requested the school post them to me). Oh and opened the envelope on “my behalf”. So everyone knew I got 2 B’s, 3 C’s and umpteen D’s

In my day no one I knew got this “A star” grade. They got A’s and only a few people got them.

Now, I’m not saying that GCSEs have got easier and I’m not saying that teaching methods have improved or worsened since my day (think I was in the third year to ever sit GCSE’s, before that it was O’levels). But something niggles me. I watched BBC Breakfast this morning (today presented by the sexy stereotypical secretary looking type, whose name still escapes me, and some nameless bloke who looked like he lived in the bowels of the BBC News centre that they wheel out when everyone else is sick) and they did their usual select 5 kids from a high achieving school and make them read out their grades.

The kids all did really well. A few of them got straight “A stars” and the rest had mixes of “A stars” and a few A and B grades here and there. Which made me think. Maybe, like the pound, over the years the humble GCSE has devalued. Meaning that all those people that got grade B in 1990 should have got grade A in today’s market. Maybe the Department of Education needed to prove that GCSE was “harder” than O’level or CSE. I recall the teachers at school saying that my grade D’s would have been O’level passes and that I shouldn’t worry about them. So I didn’t.

Now Im not bitter or owt (could have fooled you huh?) but Im really tempted to write to the Department of Education and demand that they upgrade my GCSE results to modern day standards. But then David Griffiths got straight A’s which, after upgrading, would mean he got a degree or summat….Piss…..I haven’t really thought this through have I? Not to worry.

Anyway. Congrats to those getting their GCSE’s today (I know there’s at least one on my Flist). Your GCSE results are important really, Im just a cynical grumpy pus really, your prize for doing really well is respect and pat on the back, but don’t rest on your laurels! The real hard work starts when you get into Sixth Form or College and if you didn’t do too well, well…like the bloke on Breakfast said this morning “in 10 years you probably won’t even remember what grades you got”.

Oh and I still can’t remember how to do quadratic equations

but I can still remember how to order ham and beer in French and ham, beer and shoes in Spanish…..