Sixth-formers across the UK are waking up to their A-level results
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Sixth-formers across the UK are waking up to their A-level results
(PA)
Sixth-formers across the UK are waking up to their A-level results which have been determined by teachers after this summer’s exams were cancelled.
Record numbers of students have achieved an A grade or higher in teacher-awarded A-level results this year, after exams were cancelled for a second year.
Nearly half of students (44.8 per cent) were awarded an A or A* this summer, up by 6.3 per cent on last year, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).
Overall, the proportion of entries awarded the top A* grade this year has surged to 19.1 per cent – the highest proportion since the top grade was first introduced in 2010.
However, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told Sky News that employers should be “confident” that students have been awarded their grades “on the basis of evidence.”
He said: “You have a very clear grading system. Employers can have real confidence in the grades that they get.”
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Key Points Grades awarded “based on evidence,” education secretary says Examinations to “hopefully” return next year, though teacher-assessed grades aren’t ruled out Record number of students accepted onto their first-choice undergraduate course
Show latest update 1628587069 ‘More than kind words’ union says, congratulating A-level students and staff
A union has congratulated A-level students and teachers while calling for more support from the DfE.
Deborah Lawson, Assistant General Secretary of the Voice Section of the Community Union said: After eighteen months of interruption – lockdown, self-isolation, in-school and virtual learning, preparation for exams and teacher assessed grades; to everyone involved across the UK, from teachers and support staff through to parents and carers – we want to say a huge well done.”
She added that fears around “grade inflation” and “’pass all’ culture” had led students to worry about the value of their grades in years to come, but that we “the immense challenges of the last year and a half “ should not be downplayed.
She said: It is important to recognise the adversity that has been overcome and to commend this year’s achievement for the genuine success that it is.
“Our teachers have often spoken of their difficulties over the last year, feeling unsupported left without plans, information and resources often until the very last moment. We hope to see more than kind words from the Department of Education, but genuine gratitude and more support going forward.”
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 10:17
1628587037 Expert offers advice for students who didn’t get the results they hoped for
Dr Nick Smith, courses director and founder of distance learning provider The Oxford Open Learning Trust has offered advice for students who didn’t quite get the grades they’d hoped for.
He said: “First of all, check out the UCAS clearing system as many institutions will still have places available. Its website will show whether your course is available somewhere else, but it’s also worth giving them a call.
“If you feel that you’ve been given a grade that is too low, you can also appeal by contacting your school, who will then inform the exam board. The board will examine evidence provided by the school and decide whether any changes are needed.
“Universities are expecting a high number of appeals this year, with grades calculated by teacher assessment rather than exams, and this is why results have been released earlier, to allow for this process.
“You also have the option of exploring other learning pathways, like work experience or apprenticeships. Gap years are also a possibility, allowing you to travel or volunteer, but make sure you check international travel restrictions if heading abroad.
“Alternatively, you could take a break from traditional education but carry on learning by either resitting your A-levels or studying new ones while working.”
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 10:17
1628586649 Labour hits out at education secretary’s remarks
Labour has criticised education secretary Gavin Williamson for suggesting universities should not charge full tuition fees unless they return to face-to-face teaching.
Peter Kyle, the shadow schools minister, blamed the lack of in-person teaching on Mr Williamson himself.
The Labour frontbencher said: “The reason there hasn’t been much face-to-face teaching is because Gavin Williamson has been preventing it for the last period.
“Just bear in mind that I had vice chancellors calling me saying pubs were open, restaurants were open, people were allowed to gather outside, but universities were prevented from government policy, from Gavin Williamson, from having seminars inside again.”
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 10:10
1628586184 Gavin Williamson says universities shouldn’t charge full tuition fees if they fail to deliver what students ‘expect’
Gavin Williamson has suggested universities should not be charging full tuition fees if they are failing to deliver what students “expect”, including in person-teaching.
Pressed on Sky News on whether it was appropriate for universities to be charging full fees while students were learning online, the cabinet minister said the government had made clear all institutions can move back to face-to-face teaching, adding: “That’s what we want to see”.
He later added: “If universities are not delivering what students expect then actually they shouldn’t be charging the full fees.”
Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the full story:
Williamson says universities shouldn’t charge full tuition fees if they fail to deliver what students ‘expect’ ‘We do expect all universities to be moving back to a situation of actually delivering lessons, lectures face-to-face,’ education secretary says
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 10:03
1628585257 Record number of pupils achieve at least one A or A*
Record numbers of students have achieved an A grade or higher in teacher-awarded A-level results this year, after exams were cancelled for a second year.
Nearly half of students (44.8 per cent) were awarded an A or A* this summer, up by 6.3 per cent on last year, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).
The uplift in top grades reflects the fact the grading process gave all students a chance to do their best, only being assessed on what they had been taught across multiple pieces of work, the Department for Education said.
Our reporter Matt Mathers has the details:
Record numbers of students get A grades or higher in A-levels Nearly half of students awarded A or A*
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 09:47
1628584324 Record number of non-EU international students accepted into UK universities while number of EU students drops
A record number of students from outside of the EU have been accepted into UK universities.
A new high of 37,390 (up by 9 percent) of non-EU international students will be attending university in the UK next year.
The number of Malaysian students coming to the UK for higher education is up 33 percent to 2,230 placed applicants).
The number of students coming from the US is also up 33 percent to 2,160 and the number of Nigerian students is up by 40 percent to 840, showing substantial increases.
The number of EU students coming to the UK to study has, however, dropped by 56 percent to 9,820.
ella glover 10 August 2021 09:32
1628582704 Record number of most disadvantaged 18-year-olds have undergraduate place
A record 20.7 percent of all UK 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK have an undergraduate place, UCAS said. Some 26,640 students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have been accepted.
However, the disparity between the most disadvantaged students and those from the most advantaged areas is still evident.
There has been no progress in closing the gap, with 48.4 percent of those students from the most advantaged areas accepted onto an undergraduate course.
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 09:05
1628581444 Teacher-assessed grades are better than exams for 2021, Ofqual chief says
Teacher assessment of pupils is a better and more “accurate” way of awarding grades than formal exams this year, the government’s qualification regulator has said.
Simon Lebus, the interim head of Ofqual, said having teachers grade their pupils on work throughout the year would give a more “holistic judgement” than the “snapshot” provided by an exam.
Mr Lebus meant that the teacher-assessed grades would be more accurate than exams this year, because many students would not have covered the whole curriculum as a result of the pandemic. However, Ofqual believes that exams are the fairest method of assessment in a normal year.
Jon Stone has the full story:
Teacher-assessed grades are better than exams, Ofqual chief says GCSE and A-Level students did not sit exams this year and will instead be awarded grades by teachers
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 08:44
1628580484 Read: Students reflect on the aftermath of last year’s results fiasco
Last year, after an algorithm downgraded thousands of results, intense backlash allowed students to lift their grades by accepting their teachers’ original predictions instead. But many still did not feel the marks did them or their work justice.
While some suddenly saw their plans become viable again, others’ were ripped to pieces. Some students not attached to a school or college – private candidates – struggled to get any marks at all under the system.
Our reporter Zoe Tidman has the full report:
Students on life since being caught up in the 2020 A-level fiasco Unplanned gap years, test re-sits, and and long waits for university after results disappointment all took their toll, reports Zoe Tidman
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 08:28
1628580064 Record number of students accepted onto their first-choice undergraduate course
A record 395,770 students, up 8 percent from 2020, have a confirmed place on their first choice of full-time undergraduate course in the UK, The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service said.
This represents 91 percent of everyone with a confirmed place, an increase from 88 percent last year.
In total, a record 435,430 students have a place on a course, up 5 percent on results day 2020, UCAS said.
The number of students accepted onto nursing courses has increased by 8 percent, to 26,730.
Some 8,560 students from England have been accepted onto medicine and dentistry courses, up by 23 percent on results day 2020.
Ella Glover 10 August 2021 08:21
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