Is Jeremy Clarkson right to downgrade the importance of A-levels?

I think the message he is trying to get across is that you don't need to take an exam to achieve greatness.

That said, he's an annoying racist bigot. So...

Yeah, tbh same I don't like him... but there is more to life than exams... and ALOT of famous people have gone their own route..

He's absolutely right. People just jump all over him because he's Jeremy Clarkson, one of the few honest men on TV.

Since Jeremy Clarkson hasn't got any kind of credentials or expertise in the field of secondary education, whilst he's certainly entitled to his own opinions, what he says doesn't really have any kind of gravity in the debate. He's making a very simple statement about a very complex issue.

He has however spent his life driving fast cars (something he enjoys) and got paid a **** tonne of money for doing it. All on the back of not very impressive A-levels. He is pretty much an example of why not having good A-levels doesn't mean you will be doomed and is thus kind of relevant.

Firstly, I wouldn't really use Jeremy Clarkson as a role-model for people.

Secondly, of course you don't need good A-Levels to get satisfaction from life. Most people aren't going to become academics - that's not a big surprise. But to make a big sweeping statement that this is true for all people is absurd. For the people that do want to get into the top universities and follow that route, they are very important.

Well it's not even true about being an academic. There is no reason you can;t get **** A-levels, do a foundation year, get good degree, do phd, become an academic.

Fine, but I don't think most people are going to be particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of having to do a foundation degree.