>> A more appropriate closing line to your post should possibly be - Never over estimate
>> others intelligence.
Literacy and intelligence do not necessarily go hand in hand!!
The article you quote appears to be from 2009. The author shows their own ignorance or prejudice by describing the attainment of a C for English and Maths as an 'elementary level'. Whatever the argument about GCSE being easier than O level C in either of those subjects is NOT elementary language or numeracy. If the qualifications at C or above have any meaning at all then they're inevitably going to be beyond a significant proportion of the population.
The fact is that there was no golden age when everybody left school capable of reading Blyton never mind Shakespeare. Military selection for both World Wars showed it. Anybody who deals with the public will tell you they meet people of all ages who cannot read or sign their name properly.
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