Modern education just doesn't add up

A reader has rediscovered the School Certificate examination papers she sat in July, 1946, writes Peter Rhodes.

These exams were taken at the age of 16.

If you seriously think education standards have not declined, ask yourself how many of today's 16-year-olds (no calculators allowed) could attempt this first question on the maths paper:

Find the value of 0.45 x 2.4 - 0.45 x 0.8.