2 ***^ Sunday 11 August 2019 The Sunday Telegraph
News
is a member of the
Independent
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Organisation (IPSO) and we subscribe
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appeal to IPSO at http://www.ipso.co.uk.The Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace
Road, London, SW1W 0DTNEWS BULLETIN
Stop describing cancer
using war metaphors
The use of war metaphors when refer-
ring to cancer may cause more harm
than good, by leaving people feel-
ing fatalistic about the disease, new
research shows.
Framing the onset of cancer in mili-
tary terms, such as “fight”, “attack” or
“invaded”, can also make people feel
treatment is more difficult.
In an article to appear in the journal
Health Communication, researchers
called on cancer charities, those in the
media and others to be more aware
that the language may not be helpful.Ukip elects Richard
Braine as new leader
Richard Braine has been elected as the
new leader of Ukip after taking more
than half the vote, a spokesman said.
The chairman of the party’s west
London branch received 53 per cent of
the vote. Freddy Vachha was second
with 20 per cent, followed by Ben
Walker on 14 per cent and Mike
Hookem on 13 per cent.
Mr Braine was the favoured
candidate of Gerard Batten, the
outgoing leader.6
Number of horses that were roaming free
on the A166 in Yorkshire yesterdayUpgrade
your lie-in
SEE PAGE 26 FOR DETAILSMaths A-level
pass mark is
expected to
be lowest ever
By Camilla Turner
EDUCATION EDITOR
THE MATHS A-level is expected to
have the lowest pass mark ever, as it is
predicted that a financial incentive for
schools may have led to a weaker group
of students taking the exam.
This summer was the first time that
pupils of all abilities took the new, re-
formed Maths qualification, designed
to be more challenging and better pre-
pare sixth-form students for university.
Students complained that they found
the Edexcel exam exceptionally diffi-
cult, with thousands signing a petition
to demand “some form of compensa-
tion” or “special consideration” since
questions were “unlike any specimen,
past or textbook questions”. A separate
petition claimed that students’ hopes
of attending university had been “shat-
tered” thanks to the Maths exams.
Experts have said that a Government
policy, where schools are offered a cash
incentive of up to £2,400 for every ex-
tra student that takes Maths in the sixth
form, may have played a role in the
lower scores.
Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the In-
dependent Schools Council, said: “This
is the first cohort taking Maths A-level
encouraged to do so by the extra money
that schools get. That means you may
have a group of weaker students taking
Maths A-level than in the past.”
Ofqual, the exams watchdog, uses
“comparable outcomes” to ensure that
roughly the same proportion of pupils
get similar grades each year, and those
who are first to take the new, reformed
courses are not at a disadvantage com-
pared with other cohorts.
Mr Lenon, a former headmaster at
Harrow School, said the system was de-
signed to protect students. “That is why
if you have a particularly hard exam,
the marks required can be much lower
than many people expect,” he said.
“We know students this year found
Maths hard. This provides people who
struggled some hope.”
As thousands of students prepare to
learn their A-level results this Thurs-
day, it emerged that dozens face having
their Maths A-level grades withheld
amid an investigation into an online
leak which led to exam questions being
circulated on social media before the
exam.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of
the Association of School and College
Leaders, said that the “inevitable con-
sequence” of providing a financial in-
centive for Maths was that those who
were “wavering because they didn’t
think they were good enough” would
be more likely to take it.
“If they have to move the grade
boundaries down, that probably isn’t
helpful to employers,” he added.
Last summer, a small cohort of 2,
bright students – who learned the syl-
labus in one year rather than the usual
two – took the reformed Maths A-level
with Edexcel. They needed to get just
23 per cent of answers right to pass the
exam with an E grade, while 42 per
cent was required for a C and 61 per
cent for an A.
The majority of Maths students last
year took the old A-level, where 40 percent was required for an E, 70 per cent
for a C and 80 per cent for an A, accord-
ing to the uniform mark scale.
Pearson, which owns Edexcel, said it
was not possible to draw direct com-
parisons between grade boundaries in
the old and the new qualification due to
the different format of the exams.
Pearson has said students should be
“reassured” that grade boundaries are
set depending on the difficulty of each
exam as this “ensures a fair system so
students of the same ability will be
awarded the same grade in different
years, even if there are differences in
the demand of papers”.
Hayley White, Pearson’s UK assess-
ment director, said: “We’re aware some
found our A-level maths paper 2 exam
more difficult than they were expect-
ing.” She said it was “fair and valid” but
added that “small adjustments” will be
made for next year’s to “improve the
experience students have”.Victims of
Epstein fear
justice will
never be done
By Patrick Sawer, Harriet Alexander
and Callum AdamsAS NEWS spread yesterday about the
suspected suicide of Jeffrey Epstein,
the billionaire paedophile, his victims
had no appetite for the truth of his sor-
did activities to die with him.
Questions quickly began to be asked
about what his death in a Manhattan
prison cell would mean for them as
well as any alleged accomplices.
His death is expected to bring to an
end the long-running inquiries into the
sex-trafficking ring he had operated for
so long with apparent immunity.
US federal prosecutors last month
charged Epstein, 66, with sex traffick-
ing of girls as young as 14, raising hopes
a trial would finally bring justice to
women such as Jennifer Araoz.
She claimed last month that Epstein
had raped her at the age of 15, after she
was groomed by a woman who had ap-
proached her on the tycoon’s behalf
outside her New York City high school.
Now Ms Araoz says the quest for jus-
tice must continue, insisting that thosewho she claims aided and abetted Ep-
stein must be brought to trial.
In a statement, Ms Araoz said: “Ep-
stein is gone, but justice must still be
served. I hope the authorities will pur-
sue and prosecute his accomplices and
enablers, and ensure redress for his
victims.”
Among those accused in court pa-
pers of aiding and abetting Epstein’s
sexual exploitation of under-age girls is
Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the
disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert
Maxwell. More documents are set to be
released tomorrow and there is specu-
lation that gagging orders signed by
Epstein employees may now be lifted.
There is growing pressure for Ms
Maxwell, 57, to answer claims in the US
that she was at the centre of Epstein’s
sex trafficking operation. Ms Maxwell
has always denied the claims calling
them “fictitious lies and stories”.
Previously sealed legal documents
released by a federal court on Friday –
less than 24 hours before Epstein took
his own life – outlined disturbing alle-
gations that he and Miss Maxwell pro-Paedophile financier’s death prompts calls
for criminal investigation to continue
£2,
The maximum incentive payment per
pupil that schools are offered for their
students taking Maths in the sixth formStem cell jab gives
stroke victims hope
of full recovery
Continued from Page 1
after 90 days compared to those on a
placebo. The increased likelihood rose
to 24 per cent a year after the stroke.
Among the people who made an “excel-
lent” recovery were those given the
stem cells a day and half after first
showing symptoms.
This is crucial, because many people
do not recognise the early signs of
stroke, despite years of public informa-
tion campaigns.
Independent experts have cautioned
that more data is needed before hailing
a “miracle” treatment. However, the US
Food and Drug Administration has
awarded the technology fast-track des-
ignation, allowing a larger study to be-
gin more quickly, a stance mirrored by
watchdogs in Europe and Japan.
Doctors are currently enrolling 300
stroke victims onto the new Masters 2
trial. They expect the drug to be eligi-
ble for licensing in 2021.
Gil Van Bokkelen, boss of Athersys,
which has developed the therapy, said:
“If we can expand the treatment win-
dow to 36 hours, that’s a time frame
that could be relevant to 90 to 95 per
cent of stroke patients.
“This could really change stroke
medicine as we know it. That’s a big
deal, because stroke is one of the lead-ing causes of disability in most coun-
tries around the world.”
Professor Keith Muir, a consultant
neurologist at Queen Elizabeth Univer-
sity Hospital, said the stem cell studies
to date were too small to draw any firm
conclusions, adding: “If they develop a
treatment that improves outcomes for
stroke patients and is effective and safeto give within a longer time window
that would be extremely welcome.”
It is thought that the new stem cell
treatment does not work well after 36
hours, because by that time damaging
immune cells have left the spleen and
are already heading to the brain, where
they can cause considerable damage.
Dr Kate Holmes, assistant director of
research at the Stroke Association, said:
“This research shows that this new
type of stem cell treatment shows some
promise in aiding stroke recovery.
“However, this was a small study and
we’re looking forward to seeing a
larger trial.”National Grid could face payouts
after failure of two energy plants
Continued from Page 1
between stations for up to nine hours,
will also be entitled to compensation
from train companies.
The Little Barford gas-fired power
station in Bedfordshire failed shortly
before 5pm on Friday. Moments later,
Hornsea Wind Farm off the Yorkshire
coast shut down.
Jonathan Brearley, Ofgem’s execu-
tive director of systems and networks,
said he wanted a report from National
Grid explaining why the network was
plunged into crisis without adequate
backup systems preventing the outage.
“Given the disruption caused to con-
sumers, it’s important that we get to
the root cause of Friday’s power failure,
and this is why National Grid Electric-
ity System Operator (ESO) will provide
us with a detailed report. We will then
consider what steps to take. This couldinclude enforcement action if evidence
emerges that National Grid ESO or any
network company have breached the
licence conditions we place on them to
protect consumers.”
It is understood the watchdog is
keen to establish how quickly National
Grid staff responded to each generator
failing. While Ofgem has the power to
fine National Grid, it is more likely to
demand compensation for those home-
owners and businesses worst affected.
National Grid insisted its systems
“worked well” following the “incredi-
bly rare and unusual” event.
Duncan Burt, National Grid’s direc-
tor of operations, said the power cuts
happened because the network be-
came overwhelmed, triggering auto-
matic systems to turn off some power
to allow the remaining network to con-
tinue functioning.‘This is a big deal, because
stroke is one of the leading
causes of disability in most
countries around the world’РЕЛИЗПОДГОТОВИЛАГРУППА"What's News"
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