When there is a lack of trust in the fair assessment of English, is it any surprise that schools wish to do their best for students by entering them for differing forms of GCSE assessment? (“Hundreds of schools opt for double exam entry to boost results”, 30 November.) You might just as well criticise coaches for entering athletes into two 10km races, one on the road and one cross-country. What drives the decisions of schools is the clear moral purpose of opening doors to higher education for young people. There is nothing cynical about this. Nor should ministers at the Department for Education hide behind unnamed spokespersons. They should take responsibility for the English marking fiasco and sort it out, as did the Welsh education minister. It should not be down to courts of law to resolve the matter.

Martin Rainsford, Headteacher, the Douay Martyrs School, Middlesex.