Comments on: Making the grade http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/2005/09/09/making-the-grade/ Because all the other domain names were taken Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:53:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: L. http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/2005/09/09/making-the-grade/comment-page-1/#comment-1357 L. Fri, 09 Sep 2005 11:12:07 +0000 http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/blog/?p=762#comment-1357 All this speculation is based on the assumption that people doing admissions to Universities actually pay any attention to student's A-level predictions. I can assure you as someone who does admissions that that is not what any sensible admissions tutor looks at. A student's GCSE results (which we have) is a far better indicator of their abilities than their A-level predictions (and indeed results). The post-result system will (I think) actually make it worse for students from disadvantaged backgrounds because the best universities will tend simply to skim off the best ones by default without thinking about potential which at least now you do have to think about. Clearing barely exists now anyway : it used to last two weeks, now you are lucky if it lasts two hours. All this speculation is based on the assumption that people doing admissions to Universities actually pay any attention to student’s A-level predictions. I can assure you as someone who does admissions that that is not what any sensible admissions tutor looks at. A student’s GCSE results (which we have) is a far better indicator of their abilities than their A-level predictions (and indeed results). The post-result system will (I think) actually make it worse for students from disadvantaged backgrounds because the best universities will tend simply to skim off the best ones by default without thinking about potential which at least now you do have to think about. Clearing barely exists now anyway : it used to last two weeks, now you are lucky if it lasts two hours.

]]> By: amoebic vodka http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/2005/09/09/making-the-grade/comment-page-1/#comment-1356 amoebic vodka Fri, 09 Sep 2005 11:05:55 +0000 http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/blog/?p=762#comment-1356 Nursing, teaching and medicine at least all require interviews, so it's not just Oxbridge who might be unhappy at having less time to sort out admissions. In theory, at least they might expect less of a workload than currently. They will only be interviewing people who have got the required grades for a start. It's a bit odd that in the current system, students have to decide on their degree before they pick the subjects for the second year of sixth form. The new(ish) A-level system requires less marking to be done in the final year, so presumably it would be possible to shorten the time between the exams and results day too. Nursing, teaching and medicine at least all require interviews, so it’s not just Oxbridge who might be unhappy at having less time to sort out admissions. In theory, at least they might expect less of a workload than currently. They will only be interviewing people who have got the required grades for a start. It’s a bit odd that in the current system, students have to decide on their degree before they pick the subjects for the second year of sixth form.

The new(ish) A-level system requires less marking to be done in the final year, so presumably it would be possible to shorten the time between the exams and results day too.

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