Do our children get a fair deal from their examiners? Part of school and university life is a hurdle race, run, so the theory goes, to sort the excellent from the middling from the failures. It is called the examination system and it is used to label young people for life. Most parents accept without question that sometimes at 11, then at 15 or 16, maybe at 18, 21, 22 or even beyond, their sons and daughters should be put on trial by examination. Some will Pass: more will fail-affecting family and careers. A fair-sized minority of results will be unfair: marking errors, health, nerves and other factors will distort them. Is this a fair and accurate way of judging human beings and should parents and employers put such faith in paper results? With teachers and educationists we follow a group of young people aged between 15 and 22 through their exams over one year to look for the answers. Reporter HAROLD WILLIAMSON Produced by GLYN JONES
