Are A-Levels too easy?
A-LEVELS ARE BECOMING too easy, a new report has said. An international panel of experts has found the number of students achieving A grades at A-Level has risen from 12% to 19% over the last ten years. Dr Barry McGraw, who was invited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in September 2000 to be take part in the review, believes that the rise in grades may, in part, be due to examiners' tendencies to increasingly err on the side of generosity when marking the papers of borderline candidates. However, he also insists that improvement in performance over time is also partly the result of increased resources being devoted to school standards.
A draft version of the QCA's review of A-Level changes included the possibility of introducing an A* grade for the top 5% of A-Level candidates, though this was dropped in December from the final version. The Department for Education and Skills had been considering the proposal as an attempt to restore credibility to the A-Level system. However, Oxford tutors are thought to believe the new A* grade would be no substitute for the interview system in the Oxford admissions process. Ministers, however, are believed to have cooled on the idea amid concerns the new A* grade would cause confusion if introduced at the same time as the planned Advanced Extension Awards (AEAs), which the Government hopes will serve as a 'world-class test' for 18-year-old high-fliers at school. Jane Minto, Oxford University Admissions, has stated that whilst the University are interested in any developments in the examination system which differentiate candidates to a greater degree, it is of key importance that the ability and opportunity to work towards A*s or AEAs is equal to students from all kinds of schools.
24th Jan 2002