h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well he's a playwright principally though his sonnets are to die for in my opinion.

I memorised nearly the whole of Macbeth for my English O level though...it was a joy.

What's English 0?


Guess that's just like I never enjoyed Goethe. Although I suspect you are not supposed to enjoy Goethe.

'O' level is an exam you took at 16...GCE it was called. And a very high standard was expected.

I'm immensly proud I got an A grade for my English literature O level.

These days no-one gives a tss about that level of education though.

The point at my school though was that you used knowledge creatively. Don't expect an A grade if you can't *think* for yourself was the main message.

Now kids just churn stuff out without thought.

Shakespeare is full of so many layers of meaning...it's too exciting.

Well done!

We only have one big exam at the age of 18/19 (depending on the type of school) here. Passing it means you're allowed to go to university.

I've always been rather good in German, I only had troubles with spelling. Like in any language. But I was good in writing as such.

They didn't care about spelling when I took exams...it was about *ideas*

And getting into the best Universities was about the interview as much as your grades.

I feel so alienated now because what I value is not wanted any longer.

All that is wanted is geeks and bean counters.

My grades were often worse than they could have been because of my spelling. I think in a language course that's justified.

Here any uni takes you with any grades as long as you have passed. If you are not good enough you are usually kicked out or leave because of despair within the first year. Only if the subject you want to take is really overrun or something special they do interviews/tests.

I couldn't even get into my grammar school without an interview.

I already passed my 11 plus but it might have been the Girls tech without passing the interview.

But my education which has been totally wonderful has been wasted by me ...except socially...I think I gave a lot to people...I hope so. anhaga understands.

Well, my personal opinion is that you can easily screw up and interview or a test because you are nervous or just have a bad day. But if you screw up all of your exams at uni then you *really* know it was not the right thing for you.

What do they teach on a 'Girls tech'? Is there also a 'boys tech'? And why should they be separated?

I didn't graduate with terribly good marks because of my horrible physics teacher. He actually said, on the first day of class, "girls can't do physics, and your marks will reflect this". I always got bad ones no matter what I did. Except in the final, where there was a second teacher marking, and I nearly had to re-sit it because my marks were suddenly too good and they thought I was cheating

I did sort of cheat by picking English as my foreign language

My English teacher was always convinced that I would never learn English. My grades also reflected that. He was also convinced that if he gives bad grades people will try harder.

You didn't have to take English?

For Abitur (equivalent to A-levels, for the UK based) we had to pick four subjects - at least one hard science and one social science, as well as one language. The first two were advanced classes - they counted more and had harder exams, but were also taught 5 hours per week as opposed to 3 for the others. So my two main ones were maths and physics, with a side of history and English.

Of course we also still had other classes, which had their own exams, but didn't count as much toward the final marks. (I think mine were German, Spanish, Art, Politics, Drama, and, uh, PE. Not sure now.)

I had to do Maths and German and could choose one foreign language (English, French orr Latin at our school) for the written exams. Oral I had to do again one language, one social science and two additional subjects of my choice. Mine were English, Geography, Arts and Music.

The 'Abitur' here is completely separated from the other marks.

I think there are fewer and fewer all-girls and all-boys schools in the UK now; and most of them are private. Girls tend to do better academically in all-girls schools.

Ah I see. I was in an all-girls-class from when I was 10 to 14. (Here everyone has the same subjects so it's always done in the same group of kids.) It was kind of an experiment of the headmaster I think. He never did it again. Before this time most of my friends were boys (that was in elementary school). After that time I had hardly any friends anymore. Girls are awful.

"I feel so alienated now because what I value is not wanted any longer. All that is wanted is geeks and bean counters."[Effers]

I'm with you on that. I sometimes wonder whether I was born into the wrong era by mistake.

I've managed to read several plays by Shakespeare, and I've seen some on stage or screen [not necessarily the same ones]. I've liked some of the modern plays/musicals that took Shakespeare as a jumping-off point -- "Kiss me Kate," :Rosenkrantz and Gildenstern are dead."

Yes, they're always the biggest bullies.

I only had friends in three of my schools. But then again, I kind of gave up after a certain amount of moving around, because it didn't seem worth making friends to lose them again a year later.

That's why I like h2g2. Every time I move, my friends move with me!

"I think there are fewer and fewer all-girls and all-boys schools in the UK now"

I think it has probably stabilised now Ben, I think there was a dropping off when the grammar schools converted - in areas where there are still grammar schools they are maintained. I'm not in a grammar school area but or nearest towns still have non-selective single-sex schools - the all-girls ones are often over-subscribed because it seems that the asian families in the area tend to prefer to have their daughters educated in a single-sex environment.

I loved my girls' school. I'd go for that every time.