Sorry, Tudor, just getting used to the system. Hrmph.

You could well be right in your assessment. Not having been part of the
English education system for some 50-odd years hardly endows me with
some right to criticise it.

I suspect though that many education systems in many countries are, to
use your term, 'dumbing down' their curricula. As best as I can gather
it's a fear of singling out an individual by assigning them a mark
which would indicate that they are a failure.

As far as I am concerned the presentation of proper and correct
information in the media leads to the further education of the
reader/watcher/listener - whatever the subject.

It's a shame that this does not seem to happen as often as I would like.