Cynics have never been swayed by claims that the sustained improvement in results is due entirely to better quality teaching and brighter, increasingly dedicated students.
They say .the unremitting rise is simply beyond belief, and point to resear
ch showing that an A-Level 'A'-grade today would have been worth only a 'C' 20 years ago.
It's a similar 'are-we-really-to-believe-it' situation with the GCSEs. The record haul of top grades indicates extraordinary levels of improvement year after year.
What is certain is that the doubts and arguments cannot be allowed to continue.
It's not fair to the exceptional candidates who would have done well at any time, or to those who will be seen as possessing a mark beyond their capabilities.
The much trumpeted changes that are on the way for both A-Levels and GCSEs, designed in part to sort this out, can't come a moment too soon.
Pupils, schools, universities, teachers and employers have a right to feel that complete confidence in the integrity of school examinations has been restored - and that it will stay that way.
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