Minister accuses A-level critics of insulting children

Education Minister David Miliband rounded on critics today for claiming A-levels had dumbed down.

The exam has been accused of becoming less challenging, and A-level results out on Thursday are expected to beat last year's record 95.4 per cent pass rate.

But Mr Miliband said those who claimed that exams had become easier were undermining the achievements of children from Middle England.

In a speech in London today he said there was not a "shred of evidence" that standards had been lowered.

Attacking the "myth makers" who talked down educational achievement every year, Mr Miliband accused them of trying to preserve educational opportunities for the privileged few. He claimed better exam results were the result of better teaching and learning, and added: "I have a challenge to the myth-makers who talk down educational achievement every summer.

"When the facts say teaching standards are rising; when the facts confirm the rigour of tests and exams; when the facts show that the growth in pupils doing well comes from Middle England families, the only conclusion we can draw when commentators talk of 'dumbing down' is that they believe pupils from Middle England have neither the brains nor the talent to do well.

"So my message is simple: stop saying pupils from Middle England families lack the brains to do well. Stop saying to the children of those who have not gone to university in the past that there is a charmed circle of educational achievement and it has big 'keep out' signs all around it."

His comments, in a speech at London's Imperial College to a summer school for gifted students, came amid controversy over results which are expected to show the 22nd annual rise in the A-level pass rate.

This year, as many as one in four entries may score a top A-grade, increasing problems for elite universities struggling to select the brightest students. Several universities now set their own tests to allocate limited places on their courses.

The Government is facing calls to recognise that more students are meeting the standard-required by exam boards to get a top A-level grade - and to respond by making the exam more difficult.

David Thomas, chief executive of the Careers Research Advisory Centre, said that while standards had risen in secondary schools, they had not done so by enough to justify the soaring pass rates.

But today, Mr Miliband took pride in the exam results, declaring that the past 30 years had seen an "education revolution" which had opened up opportunities to families who had previously missed out.

Commentators who questioned academic standards believed that only an elite could ever succeed, he said, clinging to the "old order" when most people were denied the chance to do well.