On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:57:16 +0000
Hugo Mills <hugo@???> wrote:
> STEP are Cambridge-specific (or at least, were when I did mine).
> Oxford had a similar system of having their own exam, but did it a few
> months earlier. STEP is "Sixth-term examination paper" -- i.e. at the
> end of the second year of A-level study. Oxford's exams were
> "fourth-term" papers -- done near the beginning of that second year.
sounds a bit like the older Matriculation exams which were linked to
Camb/Ox/London Unis.
In my 5th form year (1948) we took the University of London School
Certificate Examinations which so far as I can recall required a
minimum of eight subjects and needed you to get a pass in six of those
to be awarded the certificate.
sufficiently high standard passes allow for matriculation exemption I
think.
There was no nonsense in those days about everyone 'passing' exams, you
achieved the required passmark or failed. My certificate shows I failed
in two of the eight subjects, maths & french I think.
I wasn't allowed to go on to 6th form, I was expected to get a job and
help support the family. My father wanted me to get a 'safe job with a
pension' so I took the Open Clerical Examination for the Civil Service
at around the same time. I don't remember what subjects were included
but I think I did rather better in those exams and ended up somewhere in
the top quarter for the whole country.
I was offered a job a AWRE, Aldermaston but as that meant living away
from home I wasn't allowed to accept it and ended up working in an
Army Records Office at Wimborne, Dorset which was within cycling
distance from home at the time.
--
John Lewis
using Debian Sid with windowmaker for a nicer desktop
