IT's that time of year again -- the A-level results come out and everyone over the age of 30 gangs up en masse to tell us young 'uns how easy we have it, and how our achievements are really not worth anything.

Perhaps I'm exaggerating slightly, but I can't help but feel that those critics seem eager to see us fail.

Perhaps nowadays the exams are better tailored to the syllabuses, or indeed teachers are beginning to be able to predict the kinds of questions that will come up. This merely means that students may actually understand the papers better, but the questions are of the same standard -- and if anything, harder.

Why are we so keen to dismiss the achievements of our school leavers? We spend enough time complaining about the education system -- exam results are getting better! What more do you want?

So your son has more A-levels than you. Not possible he worked for them, is it? Improved teaching can't have had anything to do with it either? Far more likely that some silly person made his exams easier so he wouldn't feel bad when results day came.

Is it not possible that better teaching is encouraging bright students to achieve grades they really deserve? The huge jump in standards between A-level and GCSE is bad enough as it is. The questions get harder and the grade boundaries jump up as much as 15 per cent for the higher grades.

Why not celebrate what we achieve instead of belittling what we have spent years working towards?

ALYSSA HEATH (aged 17), Cardeston, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.