Meritocracy... pfft, what a joke!

Is the education system really meritocratic? Do students really get rewarded for all of the work that they put in? Do they get  the grades that they deserve after staying up late to finish essays and revise; for going to those weekend/school holiday revision sessions and lessons after school? Do they get what the rewards that they have worked for after all that? Do they get repaid for all of the times that they have turned down days out and sacrificed their ever-so precious sleep? For me, the answer is no...

Some students revise every day, stay up every night to finish coursework, essays and revision – they stay up with a goal in their mind; a goal that they are working so hard to achieve ... a goal that eventually slips through their hands like butter. A goal that they have clung onto for ‘dear life’ – and for what? In their minds, they have had results day -  a day that many students like to call ‘ Judgement Day;’ the day that they find out whether they will be carrying onto year 13 or more importantly getting into the university of their choice. This day can decide their fate – via a piece of paper with 3-4 letters on... this day can make or break a student ... it can mean that all of their hard work has paid off... or in my case – hasn’t.

You know what has caused these students to suffer? There are a few things: the removal of January exams – the point of this was to prevent as many students achieving the highest grades ... the grades that they have worked their butts off for! The funny thing is ... to Michael Gove, this made sense – he clearly enjoyed watching students’ hearts break as they opened their results – to see that they just haven’t made the cut. How do you think that this makes students feel? You make it harder for us to get the grades that we deserve? WHAT ARE YOU DOING????? It is already hard, we already sacrifice so much – why are you making it worse for us?

Additionally, not only have you removed January exams; you have also moved grade boundaries up – up so high that they are just unrealistic ... how is this supposed to help us? Now, no one is going to get the grades that they deserve because you are too selfish – you are so wrapped up in how much you hated school ... that you are trying to make it worse for us? Why??? What can you possibly get out of making our lives miserable that is so rewarding? Oh yeah... a pay rise.

Well, at this rate – we won’t even be able to get jobs ... because the working world is so competitive already; and because of your brainless, selfish decisions – we are going to be left unemployed, unable to get a pay-rise because we have no jobs! The education system is not meritocratic – it is completely unfair ... and what is even worse, is  that to you – we mean nothing... we are just another number on a piece of paper – another statistic for you to look at contently, whilst in your dressing gown and slippers in your £1000 armchair in your heated living room, in your overpriced, luxury apartment somewhere in London. Whilst we are left sitting in our rooms, crying and thinking we are just not good enough for education – just not good enough to achieve deserved grades; even though we could have never done anymore work for our exams.

So why don’t you actually consider us when you arrange the education system – rather than being so selfish and thinking of just your pay rise and reputation... I tell you know, you reputation is getting rapidly worse – so please, sort yourself out before there is a revolution. Power in this country is so unevenly distributed – it is about time is it equalised and fair.

So, in conclusion – the education system is not meritocratic – and some people, like me; just don’t achieve the grades that they deserve because meritocracy within schools is a myth – and it is about time is it brought back into play.