A leading academic has explained that for a range of reasons, significantly more people have been achieving good grades at A-level.

Despite this contention, Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, has hit out at the effectiveness of the exams, arguing that they fail to highlight any meaningful differences between candidates.

"If they were, you wouldn't have so many universities devising additional entrance tests," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"We do need to get A-levels on a sound footing so they represent a fair national way of allowing universities to distinguish between applicants."

Last year,  an investigation by the Telegraph uncovered serious wrongdoing during GCSE and A-level examinations. This led to a high-profile inquiry into the allegations and the introduction of new regulations designed to reduce the risk of cheating.

A number of academics later commented that the scandal had undermined the credibility of the exam system.

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