Green party

A grand each for Guinea Pig students

25 August 2008

?A-level students whose university applications have been shattered should be awarded compensation of up to £1,000.

In a controversial statement, Peter Reeve, the Green Party's spokesperson on education, said: "As the true extent of the A-level fiasco unfolds before us, the implications for students are becoming horrifyingly clear. Many of them will be forced to put their life on hold for a year. This is simply unacceptable".

Government should pay for disappointment and uncertainty

"In addition to our concerns about the grading and marking of A-levels, the fact is that thousands upon thousands of young people are frustrated by disappointment and uncertainty. The Government have admitted culpability; now they should compensate victims of this fiasco. We suggest that two distinct compensatory payments be offered, both out of fairness and in order to head off a welter of claims."

He continues: "This would create a level playing field between those students from different financial backgrounds. At the moment, only families with disposable income are in a position to challenge grades.

"Such an offer would be welcomed by both students and the general public, as well as easing the profound sense of unfairness. It would also have the effect of making the Government carry some of the responsibility, an act which they are not famed for performing."