Verdict on Curriculum 2000: the principles are right but its implementation has been disastrous, piling pressure on teachers and students and introducing serious anomalies into the marking system that threaten the future of A-levels.

Schools have welcomed the broadening of the sixth-form curriculum and the chance for a halfway house to A-level. But the modular system and confusion about the relative value of AS and A2 have produced many problems in addition to the recent furore over “downgrading”.

Assessment at the end of each of the six units comprising a full A-level has resulted in overload, severely limiting teaching time and extra-curricular activities for AS students.

“The Year 12 curriculum is so heavy that most pupils dropped music, sport and extra-curricular activities. I saw a lot of very stressed girls last year,” said one sixth-form teacher.

Heads are also extremely concerned by the wide disparities between results in different AS-level subjects, says the Secondary Heads Association. The reason for the diverging standards could be that examination boards are unsure whether AS and A2 should be equally difficult. Each qualification is worth three units for university entry, yet common sense demands that the most difficult concepts should be taught towards the end of the course, particularly in subjects such as maths and modern languages. However, teachers say, examiners are expecting second-year standards from the start.

This year, 28 per cent of students failed AS maths - more than double the overall failure rate of 13 per cent. One theory is that the university maths lobby has put pressure on the Government’s examination watchdog, the Joint Council for General Qualifications (JCGQ), to make the exam more difficult.

Schools suspect examiners have taken fright at the high percentage of good AS grades last year. To avoid grade inflation, they may have downgraded candidates at A2.

Another downside is that students are dropping subjects such as foreign languages after the AS year, because they see that it is harder to get good grades at A2. Growing numbers of students are also opting for another AS-level instead of a third A-level in their second sixth-form year. However, this combination is unlikely to be recognised by the universities, which prefer more traditional qualifications. Admissions tutors have already been attacked by SHA for failing to give credit for added breadth in sixth-form courses.

Meanwhile, grade inflation at A-level has been bemoaned by the usual educational Cassandras, horrified that the pass rate now stands at 94 per cent; over a third of pupils gain two or three A-level passes. This is a far cry from the days when A-levels were reserved for an elite 20 per cent.

Others see it as a cause for celebration that fewer young people are failing. Roger Murphy, professor of education at Nottingham University, believes we should throw the “gold standard” out of the window. He argues that A-level has to shift with the times to remain relevant, and that change is vital if half of young people are going to benefit from higher education.

The joint committee insists that the latest improvement in A-level grades is down to students dropping subjects they find difficult after the AS year. Nevertheless, with just over a quarter of A-level entries receiving the top grade, the Government is now considering the introduction of an A* level. This idea is equally unpopular with universities and schools. Universities UK (formerly known as the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals) is urging the Government to be cautious instead of charging ahead with yet more reforms.

“The changes introduced by Curriculum 2000 are relatively recent and are still bedding down. Careful consideration needs to be given to any further changes, particularly with regard to their impact on both students and universities,” said Diana Warwick, the chief executive of Universities UK.

The one further change that many admissions tutors would prefer to see is evidence that students can think logically and critically, hence the AS-level in critical thinking skills offered by the OCR exam board.

But the danger is that a knee-jerk reaction to pacify denigrators of A-level “standards” will not meet the needs of students or universities.