Motion heads Man Booker...

It has been announced that Andrew Motion is to be the chair of judges for next year's Man Booker Prize. The former Poet Laureate, who was involved in accusations of plagiarism earlier this month, said it was an 'exciting challenge' and that he was looking forward 'to a year of reading voraciously'. Following on from Hilary Mantel's victory ealier this year, the longlist of her potential successors will be announced in July; the shortlist of six is published in September, and the winner will be named in October. Previous recipients of the £50,000 award include William Golding, Salman Rushdie, and Ian McEwan.

GCSE makes you better than Hemingway...

A proposed new computerised marking system for A-Level English exams, has failed some of the most famous writers and orators that ever lived. The system was discussed last week at the Westminster Education Forum; a meeting which included heads of exam boards and the Charted Institute of Educational Assessors. It is thought that online marking will soon be introduced, with computers already marking some multiple choice GCSE papers and trials taking place for those which are essay based. Yet the system has encountered some flaws. Among those singled out for criticism, were Ernest Hemingway, for his 'lack of care in style of writing'; William Golding, for his 'innacurate and erratic sentance structure'; and Anthony Burgess for being 'incomprehensible'. Surely, if the 'classics' would have failed, it signifies against the popular belief, that A-Levels are actually getting harder? Or, at least, that it's more about a marking system than writing?