The myth that all candidates have to do to pass a GCSE is write their name on the paper is simply that, a myth. I marked just such a script for English literature this summer and I gave it nothing.

When I first heard the “f*** off” story I, like anyone else, was quite shocked. This extreme example is a symptom of markers looking to reward achievement. We try to be on the candidate’s side and look for what we can credit and it is important that particularly at the bottom end of scale, we do not discount whatever a candidate has written because it appears irrelevant at first.Once you get past the problem of weak expression there is often some credible material beneath. Every generation thinks the one after it sits easier exams and that standards are slipping. But exams are still rigorous and pupils have to produce an enormous amount of work.

Ultimately, the child who writes only obscenities is not going to pass and he is not going to feel very clever when the results come back either.

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