Pupils turn back the clock to attempt 1963 paper

"The difference in the papers is enormous," exclaims Tarique Hasan.

Tarique, 19, of East Avenue, Hayes, has five As to his name at A-level, yet when confronted with an 1963 O-level paper, it was clearly different from the examination papers he has become accustomed to.

"There are no diagrams in the paper, it is one of the first things you notice."

Cecil Browne, head of maths at Uxbridge College explains: "Diagrams are important, because they allow a student a way into a question, if an average student couldn't see a diagram today, they might not even attempt a question.

"The style of the questions is different, they are a lot more wordier, there is also less time given to complete each section.

"More emphasis is placed on having good English, today's questions and papers are more accessible.

"Obviously there are calculators today which can be used, and pupils have the support of seeing past exam papers and knowing what examiners are looking for, back then, students would go in, say 'that's my best shot, and that's it'.

Tarique said: "The questions require a lot more analysis, and have much more of a story, so you have to look for the actual question."

Fortunately for today's pupils, these tough examination papers are a thing of the past, here are a selection of questions for readers to attempt.

As for Tarique, he is of to study Physics with Theoretical Physics at degree level at university, now that's difficult.

Let us know what you think? Are exams easier today? E-mail dancoombs@trinitysouth.co.uk with your thoughts.

Here are a selection of questions from the 1963 paper...Can you do them?

1) 4,800 packets of tea are put into cartons of two sizes, one half of the packets being put into each kind. A large carton holds 72 more packets than a small carton, and there are 30 more small cartons than large. Find the number of each carton.

2) In an examination one school enters 80 more candidates than a second school. 70 per cent of the entries from the first school and 60 per cent of those from the second school pass, the total number of passes being 212. Find out how many entered from each school.

3) The sides AB and DC of quadrilateral ABCD are parallel. AB, AC, AD, CD are 1.7 inches, 2.6 inches, 2.1 inches, and 3.2 inches in length respectively. Calculate angle ACD to the nearest tenth of a degree, the length of BC in inches to two significant figures and the area of the quadrilateral to two significant figures.