The
Government has accepted that A-Levels need to be reformed to make it easier for
universities and employers to spot the brightest candidates.
Education
secretary Charles Clarke agreed that a mechanism is needed for universities and
employers to distinguish between straight-A candidates.
Clarke,
interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, was asked what he thought about
the idea of finding a way to highlight top performers.
"I
think it is a reasonable point to make," he replied. "Mike Tomlinson
[the former chief schools inspector leading the review of 14 to 19 education]
will be reporting later this year, and I look forward with interest to what he
says, and professor Steven Schwartz [head of the taskforce on university
admissions] is also publishing a number of proposals," he said.
Tomlinson
and others, including Qualifications and Curriculum Authority chief Ken Boston,
have put forward various proposals.
The
A-grade could be split into four, or universities could be given applicants’
marks as well as their grades – an idea being looked at by the Universities and
Colleges Admissions Service.
Another
solution would see admissions tutors given candidates’ grades for their six
A-Level modules.
Earlier
this month, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development said rising numbers of students getting top grades at A-level means
employers are being forced to think more carefully about how they differentiate
between candidates.
