More on the examinations scandal from Oxford

Telegraph continues is investigation of the examinations scandal with this account of its knock-on effects at Oxford. At the heart of the matter is the tick-box approach to A-level, which has turned the mark scheme into a crib that pre-empts and penalises thought. Oxford gets its pick of 18 year-olds, and we can assume that all of these arrived full of top grades. Senior academics have told me in the past that students could catch up in a couple of years, but this evidence, particularly of limited reading and understanding, suggests that only the best do so. Reform is urgently needed.