HERE'S the pattern: the results are released to acclaim and relief, then the inquest begins.

How important it is to praise students for their great successes. Much hard work by young people and their teachers has helped record numbers of pupils to receive good results. In York, more than 57 per cent of students achieved five or more A* to C grades, which compares favourably with last year's national figure of 52.9 per cent.

As with the A-levels, good results lead to carping that the exams are too easy. Such negativity is unfair to those pupils who have achieved good results. They have worked hard within the system as it stands and deserve praise for their efforts.

That is not to say, however, that the present system is above criticism. Growing numbers of bosses appear to believe that too many of the young people they seek to employ have poor standards of literacy and numeracy. If that is indeed so, then the GCSE system is not working for everyone. One persistent worry is that while high-achieving pupils do better and better, others are being left behind, particularly in English and maths.

There needs to be greater effort from the Government to lift these low achievers. The Conservatives have even suggested that young people should not be allowed to leave school until they have passed tests in literacy and numeracy.

To the cynic this may just sound like another spot of Tory headline-grabbing in the shadow of a General Election. But it does at least highlight widely-perceived failings in the system.

That said, we should not forget those who do so well, including the pupils from All Saints School in York, who have some of the best French GCSE results in the country.

Well done to them.

Updated: 09:53 Friday, August 27, 2004