A student who was penalised for giving too sophisticated an answer in a mock Latin GCSE has told how she "dumbed herself down" to gain a string of top grade passes.

Brighton College student Katie Merchant, 16, was all smiles yesterday when she found out she had gained seven A*s and two As, including an A* in Latin.

But in a damning indictment of the GCSE, which some critics say is too easy, Katie revealed how she could have written better answers but decided not to in order to pass.

In July, The Argus reported how Katie had one point deducted from a mock three-mark question on Ovid's story Echo And Narcissus as her answer displayed too much knowledge for the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA exam board.

The story led to claims the brightest students were being constrained by exam marking schemes, which failed to award marks for originality and awarded the highest marks for prescriptive answers containing key words.

Yesterday, Katie told The Argus she had adapted her exam style to make sure she got the top grades.

She said: "When I did the mock I wrote what I believed was the best answer. For the real thing I wrote what I knew they wanted."

The teenager said she had applied the technique for her Latin and English literature exams and got A*s for both.

Katie said: "I was having to constantly keep tabs so I didn't start putting my own analysis into my answers."

She said the "narrow-minded" exam structure needed overhauling as it was geared towards standardising pupils rather than encouraging individual talent.

She said: "The exam system as it currently stands doesn't award marks for what pupils really think. It is too constrained. I think marks should be awarded for giving broader answers.

"There is no way for pupils to distinguish themselves because too many people are being awarded the top grades. It is too easy for people to get them.

"In some subjects, maths and science for example, all you have to do is memorise certain things and you will pass.

"You don't have to think about it, you just repeat answers you already know."

Katie plans to study A-levels in English, history, religious studies and Latin at Brighton College.

Headmaster Richard Cairns said the college would be entering students for just nine GCSEs in future, instead of the current 11, so pupils would have time to focus on interests that challenged them.

Katie said: "I don't necessarily think GCSEs are getting easier but more and more people are getting the top grades so something needs to be changed.

"A*s were created to set apartthe top students and now everyone is getting them.

"They say that A*s no longer mean as much as they used to, so perhaps it is time to take a look at the whole system."

Paula Sargent, headteacher at Patcham High School, Brighton, yesterday defended the exam system.

She said: "It rewards children for what they can do rather than penalise them for what they don't know. We should celebrate their successes today rather than look for reasons to put them down."

The English Secondary Students' Association (ESSA) has hit out at critics, saying they are undermining young people's achievements.

ESSA council member Marcus Buck, 17, said: "After the months of hard work and determination displayed by thousands of teenagers over the past two years, no doubt some people will continue to talk of a dumbed down' examination system. Not only does this undermine the achievements of the nation's youth, it is far too simplistic in what is a complex debate in modern education."

ESSA claims to have identified a number of reasons for the number of students achieving so many high grades in recent years, including students becoming increasingly aware of "assessment objectives" - the criteria used by examiners when marking papers.

However, the organisation, a student-led body representing the views of pupils across the country, said far from being "hoops to jump through", the assessment objectives provided a level playing field for all students and added transparency to the marking process.