Country Life's 39 steps to a better life

We believe it is one of the cruellest twists of fate that, just as the outside world is looking at its most splendid, the nation's youth is incarcerated indoors taking exams. But with the future in flux and the prospects for further education so uncertain, will the school leavers of today really be properly prepared for what life has to throw at them tomorrow?

Vital though a formal academic education is, we feel that there is much more that a young person should know to see them through their twenties and life beyond. They are skills that we believe will contribute to a fulfilling life, as well as increasing their sociability and all-roundedness. We are assuming certain talents as almost automatic for a child of the 21st century, such as familiarity with the internet and how to get into a nightclub, but many of the things we suggest will not require £9,000 a year in tuition fees; they can be achieved through dedication, curiosity, hard work and, if the Deputy Prime Minister will indulge us, with a little help from friends and relations.

1. Cook three different dinner party menus 2. Say ‘Can you help me please' in Arabic, Cantonese, Urdu, Spanish and Russian 3. Play a musical instrument, even if it's just the tom-toms or a mouth organ 4. Ride a horse to jackaroo standard 5. Be a ‘tech whisperer', able to fix and set up the latest technogadgets 6. Talk about five classics of English literature with authority and passion 7. Perform resuscitation on someone who has stopped breathing 8. Know how to grow carrots from seed, distinguish five native trees, identify 20 flowers and arrange a bunch 9. Handle a shotgun, skin a rabbit, gut a fish and pluck a pigeon 10. Repair a bicycle puncture and fix the chain 11. Dance the eightsome reel, waltz to Strauss and bop to Lady Gaga 12. Taste the difference between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and know how to mix a mojito or margarita 13. Write a memorable thank-you letter 14. Recognise music by Mozart, Elgar and Handel 15. Put up a shelf and change a plug 16. Tie a bow tie, bowline and Bloody Butcher 17. Sail a boat across the Solent 18. Carve a joint of meat 19. Tell the difference between Gothic, Baroque and Palladian architecture 20. Make a speech, entertain an audience with a joke or an anecdote, and sing at least two songs by heart 21. Drive a tractor, reverse a trailer, renew engine oil and change a wheel 22. Find their way round five capital cities 23. Host a party and put others at their ease 24. Sustain a 10-shot rally at tennis 25. Build a bonfire and lay a fire 26. Perform three good card tricks 27. Identify five constellations and find the North Star 28. Score a cricket match 29. Talk knowledgeably about five British landmarks 30. Uncork and pour a bottle of Champagne 31. Iron a shirt, sew on a button and sew up a hem 32. Amuse small children for at least an hour with magic tricks and storytelling 33. Read a map, pitch a tent and pack a rucksack 34. Be authoritatively acquainted with at least one work by da Vinci, Constable, Degas, Turner and Canaletto 35. Manage a bank account 36. Slip away from a football riot 37. Address a member of the Royal Family 38. Complain effectively but politely in a restaurant 39. Deliver a lamb