Blimey Stropps! I'd have just about been able to show them round my pencil case, perhaps with un cahier thrown in, on a good day (my dc also - no linguists, we).
Exams - not sure. Universities have expanded vastly, so they rely much more on predictions/numbers than in our day as I understand it, and have found ASs a leveller - they warned Gove it was a backwards step when he introduced the reforms. I think schools will have to set internal exams in yr 12, or make kids do the stand-alone ASs, for predictions - so why not let them get some of the stress/volume of exams out of the way....for university-bound dc anyway. My ds will do three ASs this summer in unreformed subjects and one internal exam (in a reformed subject, which he is likely to carry on with, so will have to jump through a very similar hoop the year after - I suspect the internal exam will feel very similar to him to the ASs). What would really reduce stress/faff, IMO, is doing fast university admissions after A levels so you'd know what balls you were juggling, but the boards/universities won't do that (it has been seriously considered I believe).
Rose, 
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