It was a rare thing to see a couple of Midcents surrounded by so much of the flat white stuff. Paperwork, the old folks called it. It was what spreadsheets were before they formed the bulk of office drudgery. Was that why the exams were still called papers? With only a few hours to go before year finals, it was irrelevant. Jen looked at mock question 19, then at Covida, then back at the sheet. It read:
AQA-LURN
HUMANITIES HISTORY
SPECIMEN PAPER 4
19: "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on carers and medical workers was comparable to the impact of World War 1 on the status of women in the UK." To what extent do you agree with this statement? (25 marks)
Jen's brow furrowed. The pair had prepared for descriptions of the pandemic, or possibly a comparison with the Black Death. They'd gone through all the basics. The initial slow government response (5 marks), the effectiveness of early 21st century technology at keeping contact (15 marks, but you had to include the limitations of pre-Network Reform Act bandwidth and 2D interfaces), the effect of reduced travel on climate change (7 marks) and, finally, the role of the pandemic in catalysing the formation of the Global Authority Government Aggregate in 2045 (10 marks). Danny (her parents insisted he call her Mr Sykes, but kids were rarely so formal these days) warned the class to expect curveballs, and this one was...she hated using such an old term...textbook.
"World War 1...Co, was that the 9/11 one?"
Her friend sighed. The intelligence between the pair was hardly symmetrical. Jen had been known to place Kanye West in Buckingham Palace ('it was the White House, you goon', as Covida had sharply reminded her), wrote an essay declaring Boris Johnson dead in 1993, mixed up 'Mister fannygrab' with President Biden and, when asked about Putin's annexation of Crimea, calmly responded "Oh, Grandma likes listening to that one. But why only 'Crimea', and not 'Crimea river'?" So, as usual, Covida calmly gave the history lesson.
"No, Jen. It's the one from 160 years ago. Allies and axis. English and Germans."
"Right...women..."
"...worked in factories, making munitions...tilling the land...doing all the work that the men couldn't, because they were out fighting..."
"...and they got the vote..."
"...and better property rights..."
Each rushed, as frightened pre-exam students at study generally do, to get the answer in before the other. Jen was usually first, and Covida was usually correct.
"So what's that got to do with the pandemic, then?"
"I'm guessing they want something about how the main workers-what was the word again...Feeworkers, that's it...I'm guessing that's because they could still charge...fees?"
"I'll baidu it later."
"So they could ask for more money, more holiday, that sort of thing?"
"Sounds like it. Right, 25 marks...3 marks for the roles of women in the war, 3 marks for the roles of those...workers...we can throw in the Zero Hours Contract Abolition Act 2032...that's a mark..."
"...And the Labour Off-Premises Act 2039. The one that lets you work from home if you want...any stats on pay?"
Jen furrowed her brow once more. Simple though she was, and with a tendency to process timelines like mangled spaghetti bolognaise, dates and data were her thing. But this time, they escaped her.
"Not sure. For now, just say that pay increased. I'll baidu the rest before the exam."
They scribbled furiously in the last few minutes before Ten Hour, when the library shut. (Why was metric time so confusing to old people, Jen wondered?) Both answers displayed the spaghettified scrawls of people who pick up pens around once a year. From a distance, Covida's scribblings resembled a tangled brick wall. Jen's were looser and interspersed with Goodbye Doggo doodles and a profile of Iphone, the senior heartthrob, his cheek acne perfectly captured in biro with red felt tip infill. Since her stat 'n' fact abilities had apparently fallen short of the task, the two turned to Covida's answer and nervously thumbed for the ideal, board-approved response.
There was confusion, followed by silent shock, as they digested the page's clipped tones. It read:
A general theme of contrast rather than comparison should be present throughout the student's response. (3 marks)
Stagnation of real wages between 2021 and 2030 for critical professionals (2 marks).
1 mark shall be deducted if the link between the term 'critical professional' and the historic term 'keyworker' is not explained.
Annual opinion polls 2018-2040 show general elevated status of medical professionals was temporary (1 mark). Approval of doctors raised by 30% during COVID outbreak, then fell by 40% (2 marks). Generally due to increased prevalence of infectious diseases over the next decade (2 mark); UN links this to climate change with 67% confidence (2 marks).
Lack of recognition of specific sectors involved in handling the crisis (1 mark). Increased resentment towards certain professionals whose exposure to the disease was not publicised (2 marks). 'Clap for Carers' campaign celebrated social care but largely did not consider teachers (1 mark) and special needs providers in schools (1 mark). Job losses in other UK sectors fuelled further resentment towards these professionals during the subsequent economic recession (1 mark).
Contemporary perception portrayed a unified nation, but analysis of social media commentary from 2020 to 2024 suggests increased social divide. The answer shall refer to at least 1 of the following factors: 1) the wealthy worked in 'skilled service sector' jobs that were easier to perform from home than those of the manufacturing and retail sectors. 2) The effects of confinement during lockdown were worsened in the smaller living spaces of the poor. 3) The lack of government provision of 'rent holidays' alongside the 'mortgage holidays' given to property purchasers (7 marks for this section).
Correct spelling, punctuation and sustainable choice of ink (2 marks).
With only a few hours before the exam, a flurry of 'did-you-ever-consider's rushed through the pair's heads like the recently finished HS3. The curveball had hit them blindsided. There was no comparison.
As a shrivelled librarian resembling a spectacled drainpipe delivered a shrill tannoy blast ushering them to leave, Covida counted her blessings for having seen this coming before the exam. And Jen counted her blessings for having a friend who was smarter than she was.