With A-level marks greater than final yr, and extra younger folks getting locations at their first-choice universities, 2024 might be counted as a profitable spherical of outcomes. In contrast to 2023’s cohort, most of whose GCSE grades have been awarded by academics resulting from Covid, this yr’s faculty and school leavers had a earlier set of exams below their belts once they took their seats in examination halls. England’s examination regulator, Ofqual, believes this stood them in good stead and has dominated out grade inflation as a proof for improved efficiency.
Whether or not they’re leaving house to review or not, the place to go is an enormous determination. It will probably solely be factor that 82% of candidates have secured a spot on their chosen course. Additionally encouraging is the truth that the 27,600 18-year-olds from essentially the most disadvantaged backgrounds who obtained a suggestion is the very best quantity on report.
As ever, the image is patchy. The hole between the proportion of personal and state faculty pupils reaching grade C or above is wider than at any time since 2018, and really regarding. In contrast to England, Northern Eire and Wales noticed declines within the proportion of A* and A grades (Scottish pupils sit completely different exams) – though leads to Northern Eire stay greater than in England. Whereas pupils within the north-east barely shrank the hole with London and the south-east, regional disparities stay massive – with London recording each the very best share of high grades (31.3%) and the largest enchancment since earlier than the pandemic.
Extra detailed breakdowns of the information will allow additional comparisons. However there are already issues in regards to the affect of this yr’s raised acceptance price on universities with decrease necessities, which depend on the clearing course of for a better proportion of their intakes. The monetary squeeze on universities has incentivised aggressive establishments to tackle extra college students. Doubtlessly, this each degrades their expertise – by rising class sizes, elevating strain on workers and so forth – and weakens the place of newer universities, that are attended by greater proportions of working-class and ethnic minority college students. With smaller numbers getting into clearing, the funds at a few of these establishments are more likely to be much more precarious.
One other supply of fear, for schools greater than faculties, is the unknown destiny of lots of of degree 3 {qualifications} – taken as an alternative of, or alongside, A-levels by one-third of the cohort (a barely smaller proportion than research solely A-levels). These are within the technique of being reviewed, and the UCU this week rightly known as for this course of to be prolonged. This week’s T-level outcomes revealed continued teething troubles for these newer vocational programs, with solely 72% of scholars finishing two-year programs and simply 0.2% gaining the highest grade.
As a result of practically all pupils sit GCSEs – not like the blended post-16 menu – these outcomes subsequent week will supply a clearer indication of nationwide tendencies, together with inequalities. However yet one more level price making about A-levels, and highlighted by the British Academy, is that the variety of college students combining arts or humanities with science topics has declined. It is a disgrace since these areas of studying are all essential, and a profitable society (and financial system) wants generalists, and folks outfitted to suppose creatively throughout boundaries, in addition to specialists. Of all Michael Gove’s reforms, the phase-out of curriculum-broadening AS-levels is among the many hardest to grasp. Hopefully it’ll quickly be reversed. In the mean time, pupils and academics ought to be congratulated for his or her achievements.
