Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/722943
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2016 26 Letters THE dismal rate of grade A results achieved in Maltese and English, the is- land's officials languages, continued to suffer in this year's A-levels which at- tracted 25 per cent more candidates sit- ting for Maltese, and 48 per cent more sitting for English than last year. The more popular English exam, for which 819 students sat for, registered a paltry increase from two grade A students last year, to five – a rate of 0.61 per cent of all students. On average, almost half of the candidates achieved Cs, Ds, and Es. However, this year's session generated less failures (29 per cent) than last year (35 per cent). Charles Caruana Carabez, head of English at the Junior College Sixth Form, said he was "relieved" at this year's pass-rates, after over one-third of candidates, 195, failed the exam last year. "It ref lects the work we have done with students," the head of the English department said. Last year, the dismal figures achieved in English attracted criticism by the chairperson of the Examinations Board who said candidates sitting for the exam did not know "the simple basics of English". According to the report "most candidates were unable to string two unblemished sentences together in Eng- lish" and lacked a "grip on the language that would help them write with clarity and simplicity." Caruana Carabez poured scorn over the report, which also targeted lectur- ers. "I rejected that report," he said. "Examinations are instruments as well, and the number of passes in an exam also ref lects the demands of the university, especially when it comes to sensitive courses… for example if the law course is bound to attract many students, they can try to regulate those who pass English, which is a require- ment for the exam." The statistics for 2006 in fact note an increase in candidates achieving pass marks from grade C upwards, increas- ing from 90 in 2005, to 215. The highest discrepancy is seen in grade C achievers, an average pass mark which was relieved by just 77 candidates in 2006. This year, the number of C passes increased to 180. As for Saviour Seisun, head of Mal- tese at the Junior College, the level of students sitting for the Maltese A-level was "not up to the standard one wishes to see". Commenting on the number of can- didates achieving a grade A result in Maltese which decreased from 5.2 per cent in 2005, to 3.8 per cent this year, Seisun said he could "safely remark that the basics of language are, to say the least, lacking in orthography, syntax, vocabulary etc." Candidates achieving a B or C pass mark also decreased by two percentage points over last year. Seisun lamented that young people seemed not to care for literature, despite teachers' efforts. "We do salvage a few. But it is only a drop in the ocean… young people are simply inundated with what the modern world has to offer them. And you can be sure it has no place for literature in it." Despite increasing failure rates, candi- dates who failed the Maltese A-level still remained at a low level, from 4.8 per cent in 2005, to 6.1 per cent. Biology retained its position as one of the best performing examinations, with students achieving grade A results increasing from 11.5 per cent to 12 per cent. But last year's high-performing Chemistry and Religion all gener- ated less candidates achieving grade A results. Pure Mathematics and Italian regis- tered an increase in the percentage of candidates achieving grade A, while Applied Mathematics generated the highest rate of failures, six out of nine candidates – with just two candidates achieving a C and an E pass mark. Other high fail rates included English (29 per cent), and Computing, Pure Maths, and Sociology (28 per cent). Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. 3 September, 2006 Not the time to ring bells We have been living in Psaila Street, Sta Venera for the last 18 months and I would like to bring to your attention an incon- venience caused to us over the weekend. However I must first stress that I love Maltese tradi- tions and everything that goes with Maltese festas. Last Sunday morning the bells of the Basilica of St Helen in Birkirkara were ringing con- stantly at 4, 5 and 6. I'm totally NOT against ringing of church bells but to ring them at that time of night/morning is taking it a step too far. Last year I hap- pened to be overseas for work at that particular weekend so we did not experience this. Regardless of what was going on in the church at that time (possibly the Paternoster), I truly believe that it really wasn't necessary to ring the bells before an acceptable time of 7am, and should be avoided in future. You need to understand that many residents have young chil- dren. It's already hard enough that my children wake me up at 6am on a Sunday, but having them awake and starting their day at 4am is really unfair. All our windows were closed at night and the bells could still be heard repetitively ringing in our ears. You might say to yourself that one person's opinion shouldn't matter over a once in a year occasion but I tend to hope that common sense prevails for even the respect of the minority, espe- cially since it's noise pollution at an unacceptable time. Not every- body will speak up like I did. Just for the record, I was at the actual festa later that morning with my wife and children, so I really have no issue with the festa itself. Paul Borg Sta Venera Maltese suffers at A-level, English still dismal Destruction of Mellieha I write ostensibly in support of Evarist Bartolo's article in Mal- taToday ('Making Malta liveable', 21 August) and in particular the unbridled annihilation of his birth village: Mellieha! Now we are all fully aware of what started this wanton destruction of our 'fair land' but aiding and abetting this tragedy is equally culpable and unfathomable! However, perhaps he is unaware of the myriad of planning applica- tions of development – leaving aside the major projects currently ongoing in Mellieha and its im- mediate environs – currently in situ in the village core (many of which I have lodged objections to with the PA, or rather registered a 'representation' against, in that 'authority's' parlance)? These planning applications all refer to mostly perfectly structurally sound and presently inhabitable buildings, which are being demolished to make way for mostly all similar nondescript monstrosities and pretty soon his home village will be another Slie- ma and worse (incidentally I have had a home here for over 30 years and lived here permanently since 1999). 'Representations' made to the Mellieha local council as well as the PA and the Scarlet Pimper- nel – a.k.a. the so-called 'Environ- ment Minister' (another misno- mer) – have all fallen on deaf ears, with me not even being subject to the dignity of an acknowledgment to my queries relating to profit over prevention, and how they are selling their souls and their con- science for 30 pieces of gold. I would suggest you check with the PA about just how many ap- plications have been lodged with that authority in Mellieha in the past 12 months alone, to get some idea of my concern as to what annihilation (his apt description) awaits this once 'destination of excellence' – now confined to being a destination of destruction and an unbelievable building site. Heaven help us – as who else will? Peter Murray Mellieha