It is dangerous to generalize from unique experience, but the season of examination results is round again. Apart from the annual surprises, the ranked order is much as our departmental meetings predicted. The range of marks is similar and the percentage qualifying to proceed to Part II of the B.Ed, degree is of the same order. No one failed, but the tail is as abysmal as in previous years. These “tail” students are perhaps the most important ones, for they will teach over a wide band of education: the spectrum may start at the reception class in an infants school and end in the higher forms of a secondary or comprehensive school. Ability as a teacher doesn’t necessarily correlate with skill as a mathematician, but the quality of their contribution is questionable. So in this summer season efforts are again directed towards finding reasons for comparative failure.