There is something admirable in the ways in which the 2020 A-level cohort mobilised itself to take on the government over results it felt were unfair. 

Their protests last week touched a chord with me. Specifically, they touched several chords - of songs from my most formative years, in the 1980s. 

When we look at the results crisis, after all, we can see the same social imbalance that the youth of the 1980s experienced. With hindsight, some of these songs seem almost prophetic. 

And so I have compiled a playlist of 10 of the songs that seemed particularly relevant today.

1. Living by Numbers, by New Musik 

This song reflects all too clearly the dominance of the accountability system that drives everything we do in education. Is it time to realise that our students are not a succession of statistics, even if we insist on measuring every piece of work and reminding them of their level regularly? 

The supposed objectivity of so-called flight paths is no more than a construct of the system: it’s not a true learning journey for the individual, especially where the dead hand of past cohorts’ results is part of the algorithm that determines the next stage of their careers. 

2. Another Brick in the Wall, by Pink Floyd 

At the turn of the 1980s, this song reflected the disillusionment of being part of a system.

3. Take on Me, by A-ha

This is the call to universities that are reshuffling student numbers. Top marks to the Oxford colleges that honoured their offers before the government’s U-turn. Leicester University, meanwhile, decided to negotiate using the mocks generated by schools. 

Perhaps, after the row over results has died down, there will be time to revisit recruitment to university courses. 

4. Never Gonna Give You Up, by Rick Astley 

Schools and teachers have been supporting their pupils throughout this process: scrutinising Ofqual’s procedures and helping students negotiate with Ucas and individual universities to find places.

5. Holding out for a Hero, by Bonnie Tyler

Aren’t we all? We need stronger concerted leadership to take this year’s cohort through the current unsatisfactory mess. There seems to be a stronger voice from the heads’ unions than from the government: there is no single person leading the way.

6. Going Underground, by The Jam

This includes the hard-hitting line: “You choose your leaders and you place your trust…” Enough said. 

7. Livin’ on a Prayer, by Bon Jovi 

This was the state that students have been living in since their exams were cancelled. 

8. One in 10, by UB40

This is a grim reminder of the 1980s recession, where one in 10 of the working population was jobless and out of education. In the pandemic and recessionary world we inhabit, 40 years on, being left out and left behind is a very real fear. This song expresses the anger of being “a statistical reminder of a world that doesn’t care”. 

9. The Final Final Final Final Countdown, by Europe (with apologies)

How many times have there been revisions, recounts and further possibilities for the triple lock? The rhetoric seems rather empty in the face of the reality: appeals procedures based on mocks put online and withdrawn almost immediately. And then a U-turn, but too late for many students to secure the university places they’d wanted. 

10. Under Pressure, by Queen

At the start of A-level results day, it was the candidates who were victims of the algorithm, as they struggled to make sense of the whole thing. By 4pm on Monday, universities were struggling to accommodate the larger numbers, as the algorithm was abandoned. There was a backlash against Ofqual from senior Conservative MPs, and the secretary of state for education has faced calls for his resignation. 

The crisis over grades has mutated into something even larger over the last few days. We have had to reflect on the consequences for individuals when applying an algorithm to something as personal as academic performance. 

It’s at this point that the genius of the 1980s has to give way to the song that captures the spirit of people power even more: We’re Gonna Change the World, by Matt Monro. 

If this last week has shown us anything, it’s that change can only come from the conviction and courage to challenge what is not right. And so this upbeat, jaunty gem provides a spirit of optimism to take us forwards.

Yvonne Williams is head of English and drama in a secondary school in the South of England. She has contributed chapters on workload and wellbeing to Mentoring English Teachers in the Secondary School, edited by Debbie Hickman (Routledge)