| Abstract: | This article draws upon the results of five years annual surveying of language performance of children aged 11 and 15 in the United Kingdom. The theme of the article concerns anomalies in the way literacy values are communicated to pupils in schools. Strong sex-typing is evident in the preferences which pupils express for certain types of writing, with girls appearing to choose the most prestigious forms of reading and writing in school terms. Girls' success in fulfilling school criteria for literary excellence does less than might be expected to advance their career prospects: on the contrary, it is suggested that the process of becoming a good writer at school is part of the general sorting process whereby girls cease to compete in other fields of work and study. |
