Richard Cairns's comments about examiners (The Argus, July 6) are an insult to the professionalism of the many exam markers, including myself, working so hard at this time of year to ensure fair assessment for all candidates.

It is frankly bizarre to suggest a Latin exam could possibly be marked by someone with little knowledge of the subject - in fact, most of the Latin exam markers must surely be Latin teachers at private institutions such as Mr Cairns's Brighton College, where this subject is still taught.

Of course, examiners work to "rigid marking schemes" - how else could we guarantee students from all sorts of schools working at all levels of ability are treated equally and fairly?

I'd like to write more about a student who is disappointed with an A* but I'm too busy marking exam papers at the moment to comment on that.

Mr Cairns might be interested to know I have an excellent degree in my subject and years of teaching experience, which I think amply qualifies me for this.

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