I am writing in response to your editorial in the Nursing Standard (week ending November 19, 1988). Those of us who have been graded D are quite happy to carry out basic nursing care and not have the responsibility of running a ward. But our complaints arise when we are carrying out tasks which would redefine our actual grade as an E. As a newly qualified staff nurse I am not ashamed to be 'bottom of the pile', grade D. I feel that all nurses, when newly qualified, should be given D grades and, indeed, require that support.