Don’t leave us out of A-level reform debate, say universities

Universities must be a key part of discussions about any reforms to A levels in England, according to sector leaders who warned against rushing into a wholesale redrawing of end-of-school examinations.

It has been reported that the Westminster government is seeking to overhaul A levels, the main qualifications used for entry into university, after a record number of students scored top grades this year.

Some 44.8 per cent of A levels were awarded at A* or A this year, after teachers’ assessments were used for grading instead of examinations. Record numbers of students were placed as results were released, and the UK’s most selective institutions got a huge boost in recruitment – up 31 per cent among English school-leavers on results day – thanks to more applicants getting the marks they needed.

Concerns have been raised that grade inflation is undermining confidence in the examinations system and makes it too hard to judge differences in school-leavers’ ability.

But Matthew Andrews, university secretary and registrar at the University of Gloucestershire, cautioned that “students getting their A-level results this year have had an incredibly disrupted time, even more than last year’s students, and it would be unfair to say they’ve had it easy”.

He said it was important “to ensure that, over time, A levels and other level-3 qualifications maintain their standards in a comparable way one year for the next”.

“Assuming things return to normal, there is a challenge next year: how do we get back to the good record Ofqual [England’s exam regulator] had of managing standards year-on-year without significant grade inflation?” Dr Andrews said.

If there were going to be reforms, universities need to be involved in those discussions at “the earliest possible opportunity”, he continued. “We will have some insightful things to say to the process, but it also means, for those students who do want to progress to university, we have to make sure the systems are aligned.”

Last year, university admissions were thrown into chaos by a government U-turn over the use of an algorithm that downgraded thousands of grades, particularly those achieved by students from poorer areas, resulting in thousands of applicants being suddenly eligible for university courses they had been rejected from days before.

“What happened last year demonstrates how difficult things can get if universities aren’t in the discussion from the beginning,” one university expert told Times Higher Education.  

However, Mary Curnock Cook, a former chief executive of admissions service Ucas, pointed out that applications for the 2022-23 cycle opened on 7 September, “so it seems unrealistic to make any substantive changes to the A-level grading system for next year”.

“Knowing the extent to which A-level assessment might be different from pre-Covid norms is a vital piece of information for predicted grades for applicants,” she added. “Universities and schools need decisions on any changes very quickly.”

Clare Marchant, Ucas’ current chief executive, told THE that worries over the value over this year’s qualifications were unfounded. “I entirely disagree with the idea that these qualifications will not be valued by employers. Employers understand that this has been an unprecedentedly difficult time for those students,” she said.

“The increase in numbers [going to university] we are seeing is driven by an increase in demand and an increase in demographics. Those will far outlive the impact of the pandemic.”

anna.mckie@timeshighereducation.com