Testing Times

from A Point of View · host BBC Radio 4

As hundreds of thousands of young people get ready to sit exams, Mary Beard reflects on exam season - past and present. The Cambridge don describes how the "tough, engaging and intelligent young people" she has taught for years "suddenly morph into nervous wrecks, hanging a bit pathetically on your every word, as they have never, quite rightly, done before". She talks about the extraordinary similarities between exams in the 1800s and today...the "curmudgeonly gloom that greeted the students' efforts" sounds very familiar. Michael Gove and his friends - she suggests - might like to take note that complaints about poor performance have been around for quite some time! Producer: Adele Armstrong.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 16, 2014

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

Testing Times

0:00 10:06

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

French Your Way Jessica: Native French teacher founder of French Your Way Boost your French listening skills and test your comprehension with this one of a kind series of podcasts. Get the chance to listen to a real conversation between native speakers talking at normal speed AND customise your learning experience through carefully designed sets of questions (2 levels of difficulty) available for download at www.frenchvoicespodcast.com. All interviews also come with the transcript. French teacher Jessica interviews native speakers of French from around the world who share a bit of their life and passion. Where else would you meet in one same place a French yoga teacher based in Melbourne, a soap manufacturer from Provence, or a couple cycling around the world?

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of A Point of View?

This episode is 10 minutes long.

When was this A Point of View episode published?

This episode was published on May 16, 2014.

Can I download this A Point of View episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!