The O levels serve not only as a rationing system for colleges and other opportunities that are limited, but also measure the effectiveness of the education system ("What do record O-level results really mean?" by Mr Zubin Jain; Jan 17).

While students are getting smarter, the exams are becoming more difficult.

Thus, achieving better results despite the rising difficulty level says something about our education system.

With better average performance, students need to obtain higher marks to make it to the same school. compared with earlier batches. Only then will the quality of each cohort improve.

We need to make more schools better ones so that students can continue to receive a quality education that matches their calibre.

Qu Aohan (Ms)