In England, students are just days away from important A-level, T-level and BTec exams results. This year, as with 2022, the share of top grades has jumped dramatically compared to before the pandemic. This year, 27.8% of all A-level grades were A* or A. This is a modest improvement over 27.2% in 2023 and an impressive increase from 25.4% in 2019. The percentage of students whose performance ranks at the highest level will probably remain around the same in 2024. The grading scorecard is changing fast.
The total number of A-level entries this summer dropped, down from 825,355 last year to 821,875. This decline is likely indicative of national trends in education pipelines. Students have returned to campus and are working to figure out their lives after the pandemic tossed everyone into disarray. Students going to university this year will face the toughest fee regime yet. To put it into context, undergraduate courses in England and Wales are currently a whopping £9,535.
Chief Regulator at Ofqual, Dr Jo Saxton, highlighted the difficulties that this year’s Year 13s have experienced. She stated they had received lower GCSE grades than their predecessors due to a “significant national programme to deflate their grades” aimed at reducing grade inflation that occurred during COVID-19.
As these students prepare for life after high school, Dr. Saxton highlights the need for universities to acknowledge and appreciate the challenges they face. She reminded everyone that the old grades would be a little inflated for a whole cohort. That means that institutions need a more sophisticated approach when evaluating applicants.
This year represents the last phase of a reversion to old-school pre-pandemic grading expectations in England. Grading in Wales and Northern Ireland has returned to these levels since last year. As a consequence, the public is more likely to be distracted by the shiny object of grading comparisons to 2019 results. They’ll focus on what happened in comparison to last year’s results.
Freya has a passion for environmentalism and recently completed her A-level course. She imparted some great lessons on creating hands-on learning experiences that provide tangible, real-world benefits.
“It gives you a hands-on experience in what sort of things you’re going to do in a real-world scenario, rather than just learning from a book,” – Freya.
This shifting grading landscape has raised eyebrows from teachers and students across the country. Admissions have declined, and the cost of education has increased. This leads to a confusing and disorienting situation for students as they make the leap from high school to college生活.
