Having received my A2-Levels, I too am aggravated by the results but I think for a different reason than those represented in the media.

I don't actually think that the actual exams are becoming easier but like has been suggested, more people are taking the so-called 'soft' subjects.

Not only this though. I also think there is a bigger expectation now to do well from teachers, family and society in general, perhaps due to the Government's push for more and more people to go to university.

When I was finishing my GCSEs there was a lot of stress on how different A2-Levels were and that we would no longer be spoon-fed the material. However not one of my teachers took a back seat in this respect and remained true to this. If anything they spoon-fed us the material even more, with even more lectures and help in doing things, which should be our responsibility.

This prevents, to some extent, from distinguishing between those with motivation, initiative and the ability/patience/dedication to understand things from a book without it being broken down and explained to them by a teacher.

I remember on several occasions having done some wider reading myself and for it to only be repeated in class some time after, meaning I wasted time that I did not have very much of then and meant also that other pupils would also have the knowledge that I had, only due to their luck of what teacher they got.

It seems to me that some of my teachers must literally have no time as they just continuously were finding handouts for us, photocopying i.e. doing the wider reading for us, teaching and doing tons of marking ... and that is just one class.

Even though there is meant to be a rule of it being the pupil's individual responsibility to catch up on any work missed if they were away, this was hardly ever kept to and the teachers, perhaps the majority motivated by higher pass rates and A grades and thus higher pay, would take the concern on themselves to hand over the work to the pupils.

Again I remember wasting my valuable time in going to retrieve work missed from several teachers, only for it to be handed out in class and a little repeated session of the previous lesson going on in the corner of the room, thus not stretching or praising the others for actually being in the lesson.

So once again, my motivation, determination and dedication/initiative goes un-rewarded at the end of the two years as it may have gained me an A for effort in the end-of-term reports but these aren't something that people ask after.

Another point to make is that obviously the longer A2-Levels continue, the more knowledge and experience teachers have of them including more past papers/questions for pupils to receive and to learn from. So to me it is no wonder that the exams appear to be becoming easier, but in my opinion they are not, it is the factors around them that are making the students more able to do well and the majority of the time, not due to their own doing.

I'd recommend, not necessarily a change of system, as surely the same thing will eventually occur, but instead a more strict system composed of rigorous guidelines for teachers. Obviously all teachers are different to some extent but the strictness should be so that they all follow the same teaching methods, otherwise there are too many differing factors when two similar, in terms of motivation etc and capability, pupils are taught, resulting in unfair and not representational exam results.

Jenny Mace, The Avenue, West Wickham