1. Even the most practical skills and trades depend slavishly on certification, via tests often vapidly designed; the holders of diplomas thus develop the delusion that these bits of paper entitle them to respect and employment, even if they do not appear to have much experience or ability at all. (I first became aware of this 20 years ago, interviewing a young nanny fresh off a course: she proudly showed off a pedantically assessed workbook on the psychology of peek–a–boo and the importance of not imposing gender roles, while displaying no interest at all in the actual baby crawling at her feet.) To return to A levels, the sad fact is that nobody trusts the judgment of teachers and mentors nowadays, and hardly any universities bother to interview candidates (to be fair, not many can afford to). So the importance of exam results has become ludicrously inflated and a simplistic, grasping ethos has triumphed, in which more means better.