CONGRATULATIONS must go to all the students who have achieved the results they wanted in this year's A-level exams.

Most of the schools and colleges in the area have reported record results. This too is something to be praised.

But with the now seemingly annual improvements in results across the country, the question being asked is why.

Are the exams easier? Have changes been made to the grading system giving entrants more of a chance of an A or B grade. It seems strange that year on year, the success rates are on the up.

So what does this mean for the students who took their A-levels perhaps ten years ago? Were the exams harder then?

And so it poses the question do the current results make the results of a decade ago less meaningful?

Exams are a difficult time for students and their parents. And pressure too is on the schools and colleges to come up with the results now that league tables are studied to show the high performing educational establishments.

But we must spare a thought for the students who do not get the results they expected, or wanted. However, successful post-education careers do not solely rely on good A-level exam grades.