When it comes to the difficulty of GCSEs and A levels, are all subjects created equal?

In large part, that depends on the person taking the subject - a pupil might find maths a breeze but be all at sea in drama.

However, there are a number of subjects that persistently have a reputation as being more severely graded than others.

Ofqual has been digging into this issue to see if that is actually the case.

It concluded last week that the evidence was mixed as to whether A-level physics, chemistry, biology, French, German and Spanish are more harshly graded than other subjects.

It said that there was “not a compelling case” to adjust grading standards in these subjects.

To any seasoned Ofqual observer, this may come as little surprise.

The regulator always does its homework (it produced reams of evidence), but is generally loath to tinker with the system.

Ofqual is a fundamentally conservative organisation, and relaxing grade standards would have opened up a can of worms. It rigorously polices exam results to ensure that they are broadly comparable with previous cohorts, so making a swathe of qualifications easier would have caused it a headache. Cynics might, therefore, ask whether its investigation was really worth the bother.

Ofqual’s decision not to act leaves some big issues, particularly for modern foreign languages teachers. For years, concerns have been voiced about plummeting MFL entries at both GCSE and A level.

Given this situation, many language teachers wanted to see a relaxation in grade standards in order to encourage more pupils to take a group of subjects that are commonly perceived as being difficult. That’s why the Association of School and College Leaders said that Ofqual’s conclusion with respect to A-level languages was a “missed opportunity”.

So hopes must turn to selling language learning better, and schools need an improved supply of language teachers and more funding to maintain a broad curriculum. No easy task.