“We’re going to make exams harder” cries Mr. Gove.
The students weep too, as having faced the test they get a lower percentage score.
The Exam boards, seeing the low percentage scores, lower the grade boundaries.
So the same percentage of students get the same grades, except they’ve understood less of the material that had to be covered (which was arguably unsuitable for them in the first place).
Has Mr. Gove inadvertently created the fictional grade inflation he was trying to redress?