CLAIMS by traditionalists that GCSE and A-level exams have become easier gain some support from parents (see left).
Four in 10 say current exams are easier than the ones they faced when they were at school, compared with 25 per cent who think they are harder. Interestingly, women, who are often thought to takea closer interest in their children’s schoolwork, are equally split. Among men, nearly half (48 per cent) say exams are easier now, compared with just 18 per cent who think they are harder. On balance, middle-class parents think exams are easier, while working-class parents believe they have got harder.