THE modern GCSE system is a test of students' “character, determination and stamina”, according to Dr Tim Hands, master of Oxford’s Magdalen College School.

His comments came as the Cowley Place school today topped a table of UK fee-paying schools with 99.52 per cent of its pupils notching up either A* or A in the their exams.

The Government has said it plans to crackdown on what it regards as soft exam subjects.

But Dr Hands called for an end to “political meddling” in the exam system and insisted the tests were “a meaningful and important hurdle”.

He said it was absurd to rubbish all the hard work put in by young people at GCSE, while critics deplored the supposed drop in standards and lamented the old O-Level system.

Dr Hands said: “The fact is that in the old days, you could do well in the subjects that you were naturally good at, and secure a place at a top university.

“That is no longer the case. You won’t get into a top university unless you have good grades across the board. This means working at your weaknesses and it makes the modern system a test of character, determination, and stamina.

“The truth is that GCSEs are a better and broader set of tests, and more meaningful to employers and universities.”

The headmaster disagreed with previous suggestions from some education experts that GCSEs should be scrapped and replaced with new tests for 14-year-olds.

He said “constant change” was not helpful.

Dr Hands also argued that coursework is still a valid method of assessing students.

In recent years, GCSE coursework has been replaced with “controlled assessment” in which students carry out work in the classroom under supervision.

He said: “It’s ludicrous when universities are moving more and more away from final exams, schools are being forced to travel in the reverse direction.

“Any sensible employer is interested in consistency of achievement over a period of time.”

Ministers have announced plans to overhaul GCSEs.

From September next year, pupils will sit all their exams at the end of the two-year courses, rather than taking them throughout the course.

Pupils will also be marked more heavily on their spelling, punctuation and grammar in subjects that have a high written English element, such as history, geography and religious studies as well as English literature.

Further GCSE reforms are expected to be announced after the review of the National Curriculum is published.

But Dr Hands warned against constant Government interference, adding: “Political meddling in academic matters has rarely been seen to be helpful.”

Oxford High School was ranked 15th in the UK list and Headington School at 48th.