David Miliband

The schools minister has rejected suggestions that A Level exams are getting easier.

Speaking on Sunday, David Miliband insisted the "rigour" of the qualification remained in place.

This year the pass rate rose from 94.3 per cent to 95.4 per cent, while the number of A grades awarded also rose by 0.9 per cent to just over a fifth of candidates.

"I am confident that independent studies both by respected people here and internationally say that the rigour of the A Level has been maintained but that teaching standards have risen, and when teaching standards rise and pupils work harder we should expect exam standards to rise," Miliband told the BBC.

However the minister accepted that there were some problems with the qualification previously viewed as the "gold standard" of the English education system.

Miliband said the government was "ready to build reform on the strengths of our existing system".

He said this could include offering stronger vocational options to young people.

The government has ordered Mike Tomlinson to review the system of qualifications for 14 to 19 year olds. The former chief inspector of schools recently gave a broad endorsement to the Baccalaureate but warned it should not be introduced for five to 10 years.

Miliband said the review was looking at ways of ensuring that Britain has "a 14 to 19 system that really does serve across the ability range and helps every young person develop their talent to the full".