Letter: Selected by wealth

Sir: Flawed knowledge about A-level modular examinations is a poor basis on which to attack them. But nevertheless, Sir Rhodes Boyson has done just that ("Some A-levels should be more equal than others", 21 August).

A-level modular courses do not operate on the basis of four weeks' learning followed by an exam, as he suggests. Generally, there are two to six modules in an A-level, with synoptic papers to ensure that the full syllabus has been covered and understood. The two-module model, for example, uses exactly the same exam papers as the traditional A-level - except that modular rules apply and the students would be able to sit their papers again - much as they do in university exams and professional exams for accountancy and law.

G R G TURNBULL

The Associated Examining Board

Guildford, Surrey