The marks of the whole form will count, so that slackers will be a distinct drawback to their own companies.

Any girl who loses a mark hinders her form from gaining the cup, and of course vice versa, those who work will help." The question of marks had been a much debated subject with Miss Burd.
She had discussed it in detail at several educational conferences, and had come to the conclusion that, on the whole, the system was highly desirable.
"It's all very well to talk about the evils of emulation, and work for work's sake," she confided to Miss Strong, "but you can't get children to see things altogether in the same light as grown-ups.

I own that, when I was a child myself, I made tremendous efforts so that I might be head of my form, and when the arrangements were changed at our school, and, instead of carefully-registered marks and places, we only had first, second, or third class, I slacked off considerably.

I knew that a lesson not quite so perfectly learnt, or an exercise with one or two mistakes, would still find me in the First Class, so why should I make such enormous exertions?
When every slip might mean the loss of my chance to be top, I was far more careful.

Of course I know that Emulation, with a big E, is supposed to be all wrong, but really I think people make too much fuss about it.