Eleven-plus
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High-windowed hall all sun streaked and floating dust,
Figures all rowed at tiny desks, bare knees bent.
One moment in time shapes my future past,
Paper questions, question my life's intent.
Wrong answers, wrong life, no time to repent.
Nobody asks: "Are you ready for this?"
Never a real chance, just taking the piss.


25th November, 2013




Footnote:
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"In England, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination
administered to some students in their last year of primary education,
governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name
derives from the age group for secondary entry. The Transfer Test
examination tests a student's ability to solve problems using verbal
reasoning and mathematics. The intention was that it should be a
general test for intelligence. Introduced in 1944, the examination was
used to determine which type of school the student should attend after
primary education: a grammar school, a secondary modern school, or a
technical school." From: Wikipedia

Author's comment: 
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Grammar schools offered a far better level of education to those who
passed the 11-plus examination. Those that did not, including myself,
found it much more difficult to go on to higher education. I did not
get to university until I was 31. I then succeeded in getting a
first-class degree and Ph.D. This was not an option for me as a
younger person due, partly, to the effects of the 11-plus.