Update: 12:25

Scottish exam pass rate drops by 2%
An inquiry was under way today after it emerged that the number of youngsters passing exams in Scotland has fallen this year. Today's publication of the Higher results shows the number of successful candidates has fallen by more than 2 per cent. Scottish education minister Cathy Jamieson said she felt "disappointment" at the drop and has ordered an urgent breakdown of the figures.

Call for inquiry into easier exams allegation
Shadow education secretary Damian Green called today for an independent inquiry to establish whether exams were getting easier. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The people who suffer are the students taking the exams. You can only take the exams put in front of you and if every year it creates this row, I understand why they feel angry."