Letter: In brief

Sir: If Anglo-Saxon history is unpopular at A-level (report, 14 July), the fault lies with the syllabus, not the subject. Recent advances in understanding the centuries when English society and culture took shape have caught the imagination of thousands, including undergraduates and mature students. Unfortunately, A levels seem set in a narrowly political mould, unlikely to give pupils the excitement of relating the period to their own cultures and contexts. The remedy is to transform the syllabus, not to abolish it.

Dr W J BLAIR

The Queen's College, Oxford