Good A-level results are only awarded to pretty girls. Otherwise why would bright beauties be bouncing across our breakfast broadsheets every August, front pages splaying their pictures as they amorously congratulate their equally brainy, ever so good-looking girl friends? Just take a look at this young geordie lass.
Charlie Brooker discusses in The Guardian this summer’s fiasco with Badminton school in Dorset. Brooker shames the school which contacted journalists before results day to offer “beyootiful girls” for A-level results coverage that promised the added benefit of eye candy. According to Brooker, Badminton responded to accusations that they were guilty of prostituting their girls to the media with the nonchalant response: "We always do this and to be honest, most girls are attractive at eighteen." Frighteningly, the rest of the world is unconcerned with the attitude Badminton have demonstrated as we can see simply by browsing, for example, websites like www.sexyalevels.tumblr.com. This website dedicates itself to displaying the crème-de-la-crème of girls leaping, hugging, kissing and flaunting their youthful, beautiful bodies for photographers under the brief of ‘A-level Success’.
It is now a widely anticipated annual event that images of ecstatic young girls celebrating their results are displayed in the media giving a false representation of the country’s A-level successes. Good A-level grades are awarded to a great many pupils besides beautiful young girls.
Statistics released by the Joint Council for Qualifications show that the number of boys achieving at least a B grade has risen by 0.6% on last year whilst the same figure for girls has dropped by 0.2%. The number of boys achieving at least an A grade has also risen, but only by 0.1% whilst yet again the figure for girls has dropped by 0.2%. Most remarkably this year, the percentage of pupils achieving the new A* grade was consistent for both genders; in both cases 8.2% of pupils were awarded this accolade.
If parading the fairer sex is a tactic to inspire competition in young boys, it may be working. Graham Paton, Education Editor for The Telegraph, says: “Boys are catching up with girls as they 'rise to the challenge' of achieving elite grades”. This sentiment is echoed by Andrew Hall, Chief Executive of AQA exam board. He says: “The sense I have, and it’s a personal opinion, is that boys, I think, are recognising that the challenge is there”. However, it is unlikely that photographs of boys celebrating A-level success will ever dominate the front pages.
Andrew Hall does not appear overly concerned that, despite some improvement, girls continue to out-perform boys in A-levels. In response to the issue he simply declared: "We've scratched our heads over this." Some efforts to level the playing field have been made. Notably, the syllabus has been adapted to promote learning methods thought more suitable to the male mind with a strong focus on mathematics and the sciences. Changes are underway but perhaps Mr Hall is right to be blasé - examination reforms seem futile when we consider that men continue to be far more successful in the business world than women.
Despite girls achieving better grades, their early success is dampened by a decline in professional achievement in later life, essentially rendering their A-level triumphs as artificial. Girls consistently outperform boys in A-levels, yet if we accept the 2009 Sunday Times Rich List as a fair, albeit abbreviated review of business success, we see that only one woman is mentioned amongst the top 12. Her name is Kirsty. She appears second to and as the wife of Ernesto Bertarelli who was worth, at that time, just shy of 6 billion pounds.
The media will continue to exaggerate affairs, fuelling a constant need to entice readers with fresh and attractive news. It is unrealistic that we might one day read about the short, fat, nerdy boy with painful acne who has gotten into his first choice of university with splendid results even though such boys clearly exist.
Attractive pupils make Badminton appear an attractive school and this attracts infinite potential profit from prospective parents. Wealthy parents exposed to photographs of attractive young people with respectable results will pay to have their brood fashioned in the same way. Understanding Badminton’s offence as a business drive does not excuse their exploitation of the young girls photographed. It is only a question of whether they are morally superior for prostituting girls with a business initiative rather than for the aesthetic pleasure of the nation.
The roots of the A-level media tradition can be traced to August 2004 when the media spotlight laid its eye upon a fetching set of Cornish triplets, each girl had been offered a place at Cambridge University. Media coverage of their success was vast and the trio were termed the ‘Truro Triplets’. The novelty of the girls’ achievement and their sweet image presented to the world a blissful Britain, an image which the media elite make an effort to maintain. Images of the ‘Truro Triplets’ endeavoured to ignite our patriotism. It is not so outrageous to suppose that the girls were dressed in red, white and blue with more than fashion in mind. Take a look at their press shots from seven years ago and squint your eyes ever so slightly. You are sure to see a bright, beautiful, bouncing Union Jack, with excellent A-level results.
The beautiful success of British youth also serves to impress upon the nation a beautiful, successful Britain. We would be excused for thinking that in recent weeks the media has been fickle. The image of the UK youth, punishable for grievous crimes to the community during recent riots across the country, has been quite suddenly transformed. Within ten days, an image of hooded youngster throwing a torched bottle at an elderly person with one hand whilst propping up a 32” LCD television (security tag still attached) has been replaced with a picture of the sweet success of middle class young ladies excitedly embracing one another. This bright and beyootiful image presents us with a healing Britain, or perhaps is simply make-up plastering the wound.
Of course, unlike a photograph, reality isn't absolutly flawless.
The media, public relations, companies we meet, best practice and things that get our goat.
