Alexandra Shulman's Notebook: dealing with exam failure is a lesson in brutal reality

Thank heavens this year's A-level and GCSE results have now been released. Looking back now it's clear that although those parents may have succeeded in their aim of ensuring their children achieved reasonable exam results, once these youngsters were left to their own devices many of them had a terrible time adjusting to the real world – one where there was no one leaning over their shoulder to check for errors and push them along. Nationalities seem to each have their cultural season in the sun, and it's clearly now the turn of the Irish Actors such as Peaky Blinders' Cillian Murphy, with his star turn in Oppenheimer, and heartbreaker Paul Mescal on screen and stage; award-winning films such as The Banshees Of Inisherin and binge-worthy TV series, including Charlene McKenna in Clean Sweep alongside Derry Girls and Blue Lights. Add to that the glut of brilliant contemporary Irish novelists – including Louise Kennedy with Tresspasses, the young Colin Walsh and his summer hit Kala, and Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These – and the Emerald isle is undeniably leading on points. Rishi's chess grant is a winning move Rishi Sunak has granted £500,000 to promote the teaching of chess and install 100 boards in local parks.