What has gone wrong?
When I sat my Australian ATPL exams in the mid '80s, they were tough, but extremely practical. With the help of a superb TAFE instructor, who was a retired RAF Navigator, most of our class passed first time.
In direct contrast, the UK exams were an exercise in Aviation History. The syllabus included the Decca Navigator. ¿Que? Decca was only ever installed in the UK and Brunei, and was designed for tanks on a battlefield!
Performance 'A' was a joke. I had flown Nimrods and understood jet performance very well. I then had to do a course on 'How to pass the Perf 'A' exam.' I passed the exam (thanks Alex & co) then flew a Perf 'A' aircraft, needing little of the gen required to pass the exam.
It seems that the examiners are out of touch with reality in the modern world of airline operations. I expect better things from the new boss at CASA, as he has recent experience of heavy jet airline ops.
That's not too much to expect, is it?