Starting an MA at 71 - unleashing my inner swot, I hope

I’ll never forget when my son aged 18 discovered that his mother – who had always supported him around essay-writing and more – did not do well in her A levels. Yes, Cs in French and English and an E in German. He was utterly shocked that this could be possible. And I was still ashamed even though I was 51 at the time. Deep down beyond my journalist freelance life lay the belief that – oh my god, I could have done so much better.