Nah…exams aren’t being dumbed down at all!
I have to admit that when I first read this story I had to check that the date wasn’t April 1st but alas it is genuine. The AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance) in the UK saw fit to award a teenage boy a certificate for using one of his local buses. The student in question didn’t even know he was being examined until he received his certificate in the post.
Yes, Bobby McHale from Bury in Greater Manchester is now the proud recipient of an AQA qualification called ‘Using Public Transport (Unit 1)‘ where he demonstrated the following skills
- walk to the local bus stop;
- stand or sit at the bus stop and wait for the arrival of a public bus;
- enter the bus in a calm and safe manner;
- be directed to a downstairs seat by a member of staff;
- sit on the bus and observe through the windows;
- wait until the bus has stopped, stand on request and exit the bus;
They don’t just dish this qualification out to anyone though….Bobby’s brother failed!
No doubt said Mr McHale, bolstered by his success, will go on to work towards the AQA qualification ‘Getting a taxi to take you more than 2 miles from the centre of town after midnight.’
Mind you – if he succeeds at that we’ll all be taking the course.