WHETHER met with success or failure in the summer, teenagers can at least be certain of one thing - that any achievements will be inevitably undermined by those who insist that examinations are easier than ever before.
Although there is little hard evidence to support such assertions, prominent figures in education have fuelled suspicions.
Former chief inspector of schools Chris Woodhead declared you would be "intelligently sceptical" to "raise questions about the nature of" A-level examinations, whilst Sir Peter Williams, recruited by Gordon Brown, became the first government adviser to claim that "standards have fallen".
In 1965, only 10 per cent of places were to be allocated for As, with 20 per cent for Es.
It has been suggested that these figures have been reversed for more than two decades. The new A* grades for A-level examinations, set to launch in 2010, may correct this problem but will also undoubtedly exert extra pressure over already ambitious, super-stressed students.
Rather than simply tinkering with the grades awarded, perhaps the examination system requires a more comprehensive overhaul.
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A major problem appears to be exam mark schemes - in certain papers, mastering the intricacies of ever-elusive exam techniques' seems to almost take precedence over actual knowledge of the subject.
Students are hesitant about demonstrating any creativity in their answers for the fear that innovative approaches will stray too far from the mark schemes to be awarded the grade they deserve.
It is also increasingly difficult for teachers to interject life into the syllabus with learning increasingly strait-jacketed by the demands of public exams.
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