Let us hear no more about the alleged lowering of A-level standards. University lecturers may complain they have to teach "basic material" that should have been taught in sixth-form but so what if it means more young people are continuing their education for three or four more years

at an advanced level?

Thankfully, an increasing number of them are investing in it. Would that more from the poorer sections of society did.

At university, they will have experiences - both social and intellectual - that will greatly enhance their lives and have the chance to meet other minds of high quality, both in print and personally, that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

There's more to university education than getting a more skilled job, valuable though that may be.

-R G Jenkins, Hove