Fears of fall in A-Level results

TOP A-level pass rates could drop this year due to the soaring numbers of unconditional degree offers handed out by universities, it has been suggested.

There are warnings that the hike in these guaranteed places could mean students have “taken their foot off the pedal”, leading to lower overall A-level results.

Figures published by exams service Ucas showed more than a fifth of teenagers have been given at least one unconditional offer this year.

Almost 68,000 of these have been made to 18-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this year, up from fewer than 3,000 just five years ago. The issue sparked concerns from ministers and school leaders, who argue the practice undermines the credibility of the university system and puts youngsters’ futures at risk.

University leaders said they are monitoring trends and any impact unconditional offers might have on exam results.

Ahead of A-level results day on Thursday, Professor Alan Smithers, director of the centre for education and employment research at the University of Buckingham, suggested the rise in unconditional offers could contribute to a fall in the proportion of exams awarded an A* or A grade. Those given a guaranteed offer “may not be getting the high grades that they might otherwise have done”, he said.

Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “If there is a dip in the top grades, it could well be due to youngsters taking their foot off the gas.

“We are very concerned that universities are doing this to get bums on seats.

“What should be happening is that students are on the most appropriate degree provision for them, and if the nature of the course that they are doing is best suited to them.”