June 16th 1975

“No phone call – stuff ’em. English = hahahaha / Art = farce”

So to precis the day…

Whitwams bailed on the best record salesman (or worst instrument salesman) they were ever likely to find. Their loss, someone’s else’s gain.

Meanwhile my English exam was a joke and my Art exam redolent of a dodgy Brian Rix production.

*sigh*

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June 13th 1975

“TD exam – soddit!”

As you may sense, personal dedication to my education was not very high on my agenda at college.

Yes, it is year-end exam time once again… and yours truly probably didn’t give a hoot.

To be honest, after being fired from my job, I was probably more concerned about where the money was going to come from to fund my next album purchase or trip to the pub!

1974 School Reports

Following on from my 1973 reports (for which I received several sarcastic comments offline) I bring you my February 1974 school reports… which appear to show little or no improvement…. indeed a worrying lack of concentration. Bear in mind these reports followed up my mock O-Level examinations, the real ones (in July) representing the kick-start I would require for the rest of my working life and career. (In theory)

“Patchy” eh? “Doubts” regarding my “willingness to work hard” eh? I guess I made up for it all when I left school and college.

So, my mock O-Levels yielded scores below 50% and Mr Middleton asks me for ‘steady effort’. I think we all know where this is headed, don’t we?

It’s that ‘persistence’ that might let me down!

“Some evidence”…. “but only with a considerable effort”. Dr Erasmus was no fool was he?

Looks like Mr Bulmer has given up on me as much as I have given up on myself? … “he has now left himself far too much to do”. Nothing like a bit of encouragement is there?

Oooooh….. someone got a typewriter for Christmas didn’t they?

Remember how Physics was my best subject? Bugger.

“So, this pound note, a shekel and a rouble go into a bar…….”

 
“Worked hard”….. but “is still below standard”. Story of my life really! 😉

January 23rd 1974

“TD2 -> Easy”

Ooh, a day of cocky nonchalance about the exams!

What’s the betting it blew up in my face?

January 21st 1974

“Economics -> Hard” / “Geog (Europe World) -> Hard”

The mocks continue to mock me back!

January 14th / 15th / 16th / 17th / 18th (Part I) 1974

• “History -> Hard” / “RE -> ?”
• “Geog (Ord Surv Brit Isles) -> Bloody Hard”
• “Eng Lit -> Easy” / “French -> Hard”
• “Physics -> Hard”
• “TD -> Hard”

The mock O-Levels continue, seemingly relentlessly

Most things seem as if they were ‘hard’.

Geography scored “bloody hard” (“No surprise there” says Mrs EFA70sTRO), whilst Religious Education was noted as no more than one big question mark.

Ooooh… “18th (part I)”… does this mean there will be something interesting tomorrow I hear you ponder?

Well, yes and no actually.

January 11th 1974

“Physics -> quite easy” / “Had to sit through a 3 hour bloody Bio exam”

OK, how could I have ever found Physics to be “easy”?

This fondness for the subject kind of creeps me out 35 years after the event, as I can honestly not admit to knowing a damned thing about it now.

Was I actually a closet ‘nerd’ back in the day?

Probably.

No idea why I had to sit through a Biology exam. Maybe a shortage of teachers meant some had to share both examination and revision classes? I blame the Conservatives and Edward Heath!

January 9th / 10th 1974

• “French -> hard”
• “Eng Lang” -> hard” / “Ad Maths -> ha hard”

Yes, I wrote “ha hard” for Advanced Mathematics.

My lack of seriousness about these exams is somewhat troubling to say the least!