The shift from plays and poetry to travel brochures is a clear indicator of the revised purpose of education -- that is, away from acquisition of knowledge and life skills and towards commercial interests. God help Britain: otherwise, there is little hope.

Martin Baldwin-Edwards, Athens, Greece

Chris, ideally the basic literacy and numeracy needed for non-professional adult life should be taught in primary school.

Unfortunately it is simply not happening for too many pupils. Hence the need for remedial measures in secondary schools.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

Sounds like Ken Boston (QCA) has inflicted another blow on the UK's education system.

What exactly did he achieve in Australia in F.E. that merited his being left to run amok over here?

MarkS, Leeds,

Shouldn't a functional qualification in English and Arithmeticbe completed by the age of 14, aka when pupils sit their final SATs. Surely GCSEs, should be the first stage in academic study; useful to all in broadening horizons, rather than being the last chance, for teachers to teach the basics.

Chris, York,

How dare you, arthur, devalue the GCSE which i obtained from a cereal box?

this year the certificate was INSIDE the inner plastic bag; that location wasn't even on the syllabus!! imagine if i had to retrieve it under exam conditions rather than under supervision? so much for dumbing down...

Aaron, cambridge,

The problem we have with qualifications in this country is a complete failure to distinguish between the academic and the functional. Every, and I mean every, school leaver in the country needs to have passed a functional qualification English and Arithmetic - GCSE Maths and English are NOT these.

Chris, Cambridge,

I seem to remember that the two English o-level papers were English literature and English language; there was no "English" paper. The Language paper was then about the "understanding of language use in the real world". Welcome back if it is to the same standard, which I doubt.

Nick P, High Wycombe,

Tina, you can say that again!

Albert Hall, Kettering,

What next, a free GCSE with every box of cereal sold?!

Arthur, Newcastle,

I despair of the education system in this country. No wonder all we can produce are idiots fit for nothing but cannon fodder. So be it. Allow these 'GCSE's but forcibly sterilise anyone who takes them to prevent them breeding yet more illiterate and ignorant generations.

Jay, London,

Comprehension, comprehension, the core factor missing in most modern education measurements. Sound bite depth, tick the box automatons are the end product. Avatars without reasoning or logic. History ignorant people. No sound foundation, no building of any quality, only wall paper of certificates.

Alexander, Victoria, Seychelles

While I agree that the art of literary appreciation (of poems and novels) can be applied to any written texts, I feel somehow that children will be missing out on more challenging texts that belong to the national canon and heritage.

Tina, Dusseldorf, Germany