Dear Ms Kelly,

I have 9 GCSEs, 3 A-levels (in the sciences, which you are now trying to encourage students to take), a degree and I am soon to complete a Phd. I always went to school because I enjoyed it. I didn’t disrupt classes, worked hard and have achieved all that set out to do (yes, some may say I was a swot). As a consequence I have thousand of pounds of student debt and can only afford to live at the moment thanks to a caring and supportive family. The government is not providing sufficient funding for research in my subject and so there is a real possibility I will have to take my skills abroad in order to do what I have trained for years to do. If you were to give me an iPOD it would really help me to finish my thesis? And if the government could spare another £50 a week I wouldn’t have to rely on my family who have better things to spend their money on than my rent, bills, food etc.

Yours sincerely