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When mothers and fathers say school was harder for them, are they telling the truth?

'This was so much harder in my day' (iStock)

Next year, students are due to begin sitting more “more challenging” GCSEs after reforms pledged by former Education Secretary Michael Gove begin to take effect.

From 2017, pupils will sit new exams described as “challenging and rigorous” compared to those teenagers have been subjected to over the previous 25 years.

However, there is evidence that when fathers and mothers say “it was much harder in my day” - infuriating teenagers everywhere - they may actually be telling the truth.

The percentage of students who get a grade A at GCSE has risen from 6.9 per cent in 1986 to 14.6 in 2015, and critics of the modern education system claim children are not getting cleverer – but that As are just easier to get.

Mr Gove says is willing to accept fewer passes at GCSE to “ensure that as well as exams being tougher, schools work harder”.

Not everyone believes exams are getting easier and many teenagers certainly don’t. School-related mental health problems, including self-harm and eating disorders linked to exam stress, are on the rise.

Many have suggested students now get better exam results because they feel they have to get the grades, not because it is easier to do so.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said “both pupils and teachers are under a lot of pressure to achieve results in a pressure cooker, exam factory environment”.

Did exams really used to be harder?

We’ve compiled a list of questions based on real O-level papers from the 60s 70s and 80s.

Take the quiz below to find out if you’re really smarter than your parents - or whether your exams were just easier.

A* for effort.