Royal Society of Chemistry Calls for e-Petition

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has called for an e-Petition to halt the perceived decline of science exam standards in the UK. The RSC reports evidence that modern students are unprepared to answer math and science questions requiring critical thinking or calculations. The report is based on the results of an exam taken by 1,300 of the country's brightest 16-year-olds, which included several numerically-based questions selected from the past 50 years of O-Level and GCSE exams. The students scored an average of about 15% on 'hard' numerical questions from the 1960s, though they scored much better on recent 'soft' questions. If you are a British citizen or resident, you can sign the e-petition. The RSC's report, The Five Decade Challenge, is available online for viewing and download.