It was previously much more difficult to achieve top grades at both O and A levels than it is today - Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Alec Suchi, Bradford.

Further to your editorial comment regarding the recent A level results which reveal an increase in the number of A and A* grades being awarded (The Yorkshire Post, August 14).

This year, according to your editorial, 28.5 per cent of students were awarded either A or A* grades. However, up until the mid 1980s, only a maximum of 10 per cent of students were awarded a grade A at A levels, and there was not the need to differentiate the A grade as now occurs.

Hence, it was previously much more difficult to achieve top grades at both O and A levels than it is today. However, students can only be judged by the standards of the day, and should thus be congratulated for their achievements, although there are those who would argue that the old standards were higher than today's.