WHETHER Latin should still be taught in schools (Letters, April 18) is debatable.

When I did my secondary education in the early 1960s at Bradford Grammar, everyone had to do Latin and take the O-level exam at 14, two years before doing the others.

This was because you needed Latin O-level at that time to get into Oxford and Cambridge, whatever degree you were taking, and my school got 12 to 15 boys annually gaining this honour.

Apart from those taking the Classics stream, everyone dropped Latin at 14.

I agree with Mr Appleby that Latin knowledge helps in understanding new words that you come across.

Geoff Robb, Hunters Close, Dunnington, York