Closing summary
That’s it for another action-packed day of A-level results reporting and analysis.
The top lines for today have been:
- A drop in the proportion of A-level results at the top grades to the lowest level in more than a decade.
- Female students outnumbered males in science entries for the first time, with the proportion of girls on science courses rising to just over 50%.
- A 1% fall in the number of students accepted on to UK degree courses to 408,960 from the UK and overseas.
- The number of entries in Stem subjects increased by 1.7% in England this year, while participation in selected humanities subjects fell by 3.1%, prompting concerns from science and arts organisations alike.
- For the first time ever, the number of students taking A-level Spanish overtook French.
- And students taking A-levels in Northern Ireland obtained higher grades than their English and Welsh counterparts
There is a wealth of other information and coverage throughout today’s blog, so do scroll through. And I will (probably) be back next year with more.
Updated
In the Guardian data team’s final missive for the day, Pamela Duncan reports that the number of English A-level students taking computing hit 10,000 this year, with the proportion of female students rising to 13%.
Given, this is still a low figure, but marks some progress considering that just 6.9% of those taking computing in 2011 were girls.
There has been some interesting commentary on this disparity – which amounts to one female computing student for every six and a half males.
In keeping with narratives surrounding national strategic objectives and such, Paul Farrington, the chief technology officer at Veracode, suggests it could plug a “cybersecurity skills gap”.
Our research has found a lack of formal security eduction is contributing to the growing skills gap. Just 24% of respondents in our DevSecOps global skills survey were required to complete cybersecurity courses as part of their tertiary education, forcing many to learn on the job.
Getting kids interested and succeeding Stem at the high school level is a big step in the right direction. For example, courses that teach secure coding and security by design will help elevate these skill sets and improve overall security of the software we use. Furthermore, cybersecurity pays really rather well.
But Agata Nowakowska, area vice president at Skillsoft, said the number of female students taking Stem exams remained “frustratingly small”.
There are great initiatives out there allowing girls to dip their toe into areas such as coding, with Code Girls: First being a prime example. These help demystify areas that girls have had very little exposure to. We need to take this model into the classroom, but this is as much about educating teachers as it is students. Some are unconsciously biased about girls and Stem. The sooner we can make these changes, the sooner we can have more equality, diversity and balance in the world of technology.
Updated
The number of entries in Stem subjects increased by 1.7% in England this year, while participation in selected humanities subjects fell by 3.1%, reports Pamela Duncan, a data journalist at the Guardian. This was mainly due to the steep decline in English entries, whereas there were year-on-year increases in geography and history.
Updated
The Guardian data team’s Rémi de Fleurian (who, full disclosure, is French) has been looking at languages. For the first time ever, more English A-level students took Spanish than French, which has plummeted in popularity since 2011.
While the number of students taking German has fallen by 41%, Spanish, on the other hand, has risen in popularity, with 15% more students taking it at A-level than in 2011. French is down 36%.
It’s encouraging that the number of pupils taking languages this year has remained stable, but this is against the background of a marked decline over the past 20 years. It’s clear that we need to help more young people understand the value of learning a foreign language.
For the first time, Spanish has overtaken French. British Council research shows that Spanish is the most important language in terms of the UK’s future prosperity, security and global influence. However, other languages – including French and German – are also important, and we need more pupils to continue learning a range of languages.
More work needs to be done to understand why fewer boys see the advantage of learning languages.
Updated
Rising numbers of students are taking politics A-level, perhaps triggered by significant political and social change across the world, PA Media reports.
There were 19,729 entries for political studies A-level, up 9.8% on 2018, proportionately the biggest increase in uptake of any subject this year, according to the Joint Council for Qualifications. It follows five years of steady increase in the number of qualifications awarded in the subject, up from 13,761 in 2014.
The majority of students sitting political studies A-level this year would have started the course in September 2017, months after the EU referendum and election of the US president Donald Trump in 2016. Three years ago, there were 15,540 entries to the subject, compared with 17,964 taking the exam in 2018.
But the proportion of students achieving top grades has fallen slightly, with 26% achieving a political studies A* in 2019, compared with 27.6% last year.
Updated
Today the Guardian has been at the University of Greenwich, where the phone lines have been inundated with students inquiring about the places on offer through clearing, write Aamna Mohdin and Adhiti Shenava.
“A lot of people have rearranged their annual leave to be here today,” said Mark Betteney, the deputy head of the secondary education department. “There was a time, 10 years ago, where we wouldn’t be recruiting over the summer but recruitment has become a lot more difficult.
“There has been a pronounced trend of people not applying to university until they have got their results. I have a great deal of sympathy with that and would personally welcome a change in structure in that people once they knew their results.”
Charlotte Nickson, 24, who earned a place at the university through last year’s clearing cycle, spoke of how her experience, though stressful, was made as “easy and painless as possible” by the team on the other side of the phone.
“At the end of the conversation I was quite excited and proud of myself to have gone through clearing, an achievement in itself, especially given the health problems I had during my A-levels, so I was really happy to start university that summer.”
She also supports a change in the application process, saying she would back “anything that makes people face less pressure, especially at the age of only 18.”
Nickson was keen to see what happened on the other side of her phone call and step in to this year’s hectic clearing office.
Updated
With all the commentary around the drop in entries to arts and humanities, the British Academy, the national body for humanities and social sciences, has warned that falling numbers in subjects such as English and modern languages could harm the chances of the UK “achieving its strategic goals”.
It points out that in the past two decades there has been a steep drop in the number of pupils studying languages at secondary school – and this year A-level numbers continue to fall, with a 5% decline in take-up in England this year, compared with 2018.
This has had a knock-on effect on university-level study. Between 2007 and 2017 at least 10 modern language departments were closed at UK higher education institutions and nine more significantly downsized their undergraduate provision.
Prof Sir David Cannadine, the president of the British Academy, said:
If the UK is to achieve its strategic goals and tackle the major challenges we face – from climate change to the ageing society and the rise of artificial intelligence – the skills gained by studying humanities and social science subjects at A-level, and then at university, will be essential. After all, 80% of the UK economy derives from the services sector, fuelled in large part by graduates in the humanities and social sciences.
As we march onwards, into the 21st century and beyond, we will need individuals with expertise in law, philosophy, and politics to work hand in hand with Britain’s outstanding science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) graduates. Developments such as automated technologies, health discoveries and other inventions cannot be looked at through the scientific lens alone – they need the input of those who have studied ethics, human behaviour, culture, the law and more.
Put simply, the UK’s future success depends on students from a range of disciplines, and we will continue to work with our partners in the sciences to make the case for a broad and balanced curriculum, and for knowledge and insights from across the disciplinary spectrum.
Updated
Twenty-two pupils at a single east London state school have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge universities.
They studied for their A-levels at the appropriately named London Academy of Excellence, which opened in 2012 in Newham.
By 2016 it had been named state sixth form of the year by the Sunday Times, and the following year it was awarded an “outstanding” grade from Ofsted. This year, a remarkable 93% of all grades achieved were A* to B, 65% were A* to A and the average was A+.
The school said:
Many of the students will be the first generation in their family to enter into higher education and, at a time when the UK’s elite universities face mounting criticism for the lack of students from disadvantaged backgrounds taking up places, LAE’s students (of whom 90% are BAME, 70% have English as a second language and 40% are classified by the DfE as ‘disadvantaged’) have once again shown that ethnicity or background need not be a barrier to educational success.
The school attributes its success to its outstanding teachers and the support it receives from HSBC and a number of leading independent schools including Brighton College, Eton College, Caterham, Forest, Highgate and UCS.
A significant part of its success must of course be credited to its selectivity. LAE takes the cream of students in the area. But New Vic sixth form college, in the same area, which recruits far more widely, also had plenty of happy students today. It achieved a pass rate of 97.3%.
Lots of happy students @talknewvic #newham on #alevelresultsday. The overall pass rate at A-level is 97.3%. The highest number of A*-A grades were in biology, chemistry and maths. “We are the engine of social mobility in Newham,” vice principal Ray Ferris said. pic.twitter.com/ILpiuE2OHg
— Newham Recorder (@NewhamRecorder) August 15, 2019
Congratulations to twins Tania and Nafisa who got the same top grades @talknewvic #alevelresultsday #newham pic.twitter.com/xRzCTw33Pq
— Newham Recorder (@NewhamRecorder) August 15, 2019
Congratulations Shawn from @talknewvic who is thrilled to be going to @SOAS after achieving a clutch of top grades in history, philosophy and politics. #newham #alevelresultsday pic.twitter.com/6gkuPxMqDj
— Newham Recorder (@NewhamRecorder) August 15, 2019
Updated
For many, A-level results day will be a day of celebration, with places confirmed and futures on track. But for some students the day has brought fresh uncertainty, whether that is because they have been disappointed by their results – or maybe even pleasantly surprised.
The DfE’s National Careers Service is running a helpline that offers free advice for such students. And with GCSE results day yet to come, it has published a list of mental health tips for students to better cope with exam results day. The careers service suggests that students:
- Exercise
- Get enough sleep
- Eat a balanced diet
- Do something nice every day
- Seek expert advice
The helpline can be reached on 0800 100 900
Updated
The Royal Society, Britain’s independent scientific academy, has hailed the rise in the proportion of students taking up science subjects, but it has also raised the alarm over the corresponding fall in arts and humanities.
Prof Tom McLeish, the chair of the society’s education committee, warned “education is not a zero-sum game” and raised particular concerns over the drop in English entries. McLeish said:
The Royal Society would like to congratulate students on today’s A-level results. We recognise the hard work put in by students, with steadfast support from their teachers and families, has paid off for many, and hope that those meeting with disappointment today will receive the help they need to find the best way ahead.
The society is pleased that students value science subjects with an increase of 12,000 entries, now accounting for over 20% of all A-levels. In a changing world of work, young people are recognising that the jobs of the future will require the skills and insights offered by the sciences and maths.
The society is delighted that the sciences are faring positively with increases in the number of students studying biology (up 8.4%), chemistry (9.2%), physics (3%) and computing (8.1%). While the first year of the reformed mathematics A-level has seen a small but not unexpected drop in numbers, it still remains the most popular A-level, with a positive increase in the number of students getting the top grade. We need to ensure that the progress made in getting more young people to study maths to age 18 in ways that suit them continues.
A further cause for celebration is that female entries in the sciences are at a historic high, with increasing numbers of girls opting for chemistry and physics. However, there is still work to do in closing the gender gap in maths and computing.
Whilst Stem entries have increased, education is not a zero-sum game and the society is very concerned about the decline in some arts and humanities subjects, particularly English. The continued fall in AS level entries to under 200,000 compared with 1.3 million before the reforms, was expected, however the society is concerned this is contributing to further narrowing of students’ choices and learning.
We urgently need a conversation at the highest levels about a broader curriculum fit for the future.
Updated
If you’re starting university soon, you may be interested in the Guardian’s weekly Universities newsletter, or our updates on Twitter.
And if you have something to say about the pressing issues of life on campus – from fees to face time, from deadlines to distractions – you can also pitch us an article:
In case you were wondering why there are always so few pictures of boys celebrating their A-level results, and so many of ecstatic girls, there are actual genuine statistical reasons for it.
According to our data cruncher Pamela Duncan, female students did better than their male counterparts in more than 20 subjects, with the biggest gaps in psychology, PE and sociology.
By comparison boys achieved better grades than girls in just five subjects: political studies, Spanish, German, chemistry and computing.
And here are the celebratory female students.
While this lad brings back memories of my own A-level results day (sigh).
Updated
A teenager threatened with deportation from the UK after being trafficked from Albania has a bright future after his A-level results secured him a place on an accountancy apprenticeship, PA Media reports.
Stiven Bregu, 18, was smuggled into Britain in the back of a lorry in 2015 to escape a violent home life, and was dumped in Keynsham, near Bristol, alone and unable to speak English. He was placed in foster care, but has now collected his A-level results in maths, biology and chemistry at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple school in Bristol.
Bregu faced a crisis while preparing to sit his exams, when he was told he would be deported after his application for asylum was rejected. Teachers and friends campaigned to keep him in Bristol and a petition was signed by more than 90,000 people. He later learned his appeal had been successful and he could remain in the UK.
Next month Bregu will join the Bristol-based wealth management firm Rowan Dartington. Stiven, from Totterdown, Bristol, said:
I was not expecting the reaction I received from the people of Bristol. I’m quite grateful and very pleased I can stay here. Bristol is a wonderful place and the community around me have been wonderful.
Bristol has been so welcoming and is my home. The school and teachers have been wonderful and really supportive.
Bregu has been part of Bristol mayor Marvin Rees’s city leadership programme, which invests in gifted students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Elisabeth Gilpin, the headteacher at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple school, said:
I am delighted Stiven has succeeded in getting his three A-levels and an apprenticeship. He has worked really hard and not let the shocking news of his initial application to remain in the UK being turned down deter him.
I am so touched that Bristol and people more widely across the UK really got behind Stiven at such a crucial time in his young life.
Updated
All of the students here at Rochdale sixth form college have their results now, with many still clutching on to those all-important white slips of paper, reports Amy Walker, our reporter on the scene.
More than 100 students, alongside teachers and a few parents, are still hanging around in the downstairs study area – and although there have been a few tears, most people look pretty chuffed.
John Mullen, 18, who has been eagerly awaiting his A-level results, “distracted himself” in recent weeks with a summer job in a kitchen.
Mullen, who aspires to work in academia, gained A*s in maths and further maths, an A in computer science and a C in physics. The results mean his first choice place at Manchester University, where he will study maths, has been secured. “It’s a big relief,” he said.
Although Mullen plans to relax for a while after an intense few months, he said the thing he was most looking forward to about university was the independence.
“Even though I don’t live too far away from the campus, I’m going to to be moving out into student accommodation. It’s a really exciting time,” the 18-year-old said.
Updated
Female students outnumber males in science entries for the first time
The number of female students taking exams in A-level sciences has overtaken males for the first time ever, the culmination of decades-long efforts to encourage the take-up of science, maths and technology, write Richard Adams, Sally Weale and Niamh McIntyre.
In England, the proportion of female students among those taking sciences rose to just over 50%, as the numbers of both males and females taking Stem (science, technology and maths) subjects accounted for 21% of all A-level entries, up from 19.2% in 2018.
Biology was the most popular subject for females, who accounted for 63% of entries. There were also more female chemists proportionally, but males continue to dominate in physics, making up 78% of entries in England.
Read more of our headline coverage of this year’s A-level results here:
Updated
Here’s a good question on Twitter about a perennial A-level results day social media favourite.
Has whats his face done his “I got a 2 Ds and a U and I’m still an insufferable bell-end” tweet today yet. #ALevelResults
— Mansesh (@neshtastic) August 15, 2019
Well, the answer to your question Mansesh is yes, yes he has.
A level results a bit rubbish? Don’t worry. I got a C and two Us and I’ve rented this place for the summer. pic.twitter.com/tJNmJNv14X
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) August 15, 2019
The National Association of Headteachers has welcomed the increase in female students taking up science subjects. But the organisationwarns that funding cuts have made the future uncertain.
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary, said:
Today’s the day for giving credit where it’s due. Congratulations to all the students getting their results this morning. We must also recognise the hard work of the school and college staff who have helped them along the way.
Today is a massive moment. A-levels are a passport to the next stage of life, either in employment or for further training and study.
The relevant organisations have worked hard to make sure students have not been disadvantaged by the reformed content and assessment, and this has been shown in the general stability of results.
Grade boundaries are adjusted each year to reflect the demands of the exams, so this year’s group can have confidence their results are as valid as any other year.
It is very encouraging to see the continuing trend of more female students taking science. Hopefully this shows that traditional attitudes to subjects like these have changed and they are most certainly no longer felt to be the preserve of male students.
We know there is room for further improvement in the system as a whole, and we will be working with our members over the coming months to identify some recommendations for change.
To be successful at A-level, students need access to two things; a wide range of subjects to choose from and the right level of support to help them during their study. Sixth form funding has suffered terribly since 2010, making it harder and harder for schools and colleges to provide these essentials.
We support the calls from across the education sector to raise the rate for 16-, 17- and 18 year-old students to at least £4,760 per year. There is nothing guaranteed about A-level success, but the least we can do is to guarantee each student is properly supported with sufficient funding.
Updated
Rémi de Fleurian, on the Guardian’s data team, has been looking at the results across the UK (other than in Scotland, which has a different examination system).
He reports that students taking A-levels in Northern Ireland obtained higher grades than their English and Welsh counterparts, with 30.9% achieving A*-A grades and 84.8% of students getting A*-C grades. However, students in Wales got the highest proportion of A*s, at 9.1%, across all subjects.
Updated
PM uses first results day comment to call for more discipline in schools
The prime minister has bizarrely used his first comment on A-level results day to seemingly extend his law and order agenda to schools.
In a release from the Department for Education (DfE), ostensibly about the rise in pupils studying sciences, Boris Johnson says:
I congratulate everyone receiving their A-level results today.
The new government will do all we can to improve funding for education and to give schools the powers they need to deal with bad behaviour and bullying so that pupils can learn.
We also must focus much more attention on providing great apprenticeships for all those who do not go to university.
The comments seem out of place in a DfE statement highlighting the 26.2% increase in pupils taking science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) related subjects since 2010.
Other lines highlighted by the department include:
- More girls now do science subjects – biology, chemistry and physics combined – than boys and overall science entries are up by 7.4%, despite the fall in the population;
- Entries to Spanish have risen, making it the most popular language at A-level, while there has been a relative increase in entries to German for the first time since 2007;
- Maths remains the most popular subject;
- Since 2010, total entries in maths and further maths have increased by 20.0%, despite a 10.7% fall in the A-level cohort population in the period;
- Entries to history and geography have increased;
- Girls narrowly outperform boys at A and A* combined, reversing last year’s trend, but boys did better than girls at A*;
- The north-east has the highest overall pass rate and the biggest percentage improvement at A and A* grades;
- There has been a rise in non-EU students coming to the country to study, and a rise in nursing admissions – bucking a recent trend.
Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said:
Receiving your A-level results is a huge day for all involved, so I want to congratulate pupils, parents and teachers on all their hard work.
I’m delighted to see more pupils choosing science-related subjects. This is encouraging, particularly as we look to boost science in this country and the skills we will need in the future.
Overall, the reforms we have put in place since 2010 and increasing rigour in our schools are giving pupils more opportunities.
Updated
More analysis from Pamela Duncan. The gap between boys and girls increased this year with 73.3% of male students achieving a C grade or above compared with 77.2% of females.
That said, the proportion of students receiving an A grade or above was as close as it has been in at least a decade, with just a 0.1% difference between boys and girls.
Maths is still the most popular subject among England’s A-level students, despite a fall of 5.8% compared with last year (the overall number of A-levels taken by students in England fell by 1.2%). The most popular subject this year was maths.
However, English took the hardest knock. The subject was split into three in 2017. As Sally Weale wrote on Wednesday, the exams watchdog, Ofqual, reported a 13% drop in entries for all types of English A-levels between 2018 and 2019.
The sharpest decline was for the English language A-level, which fell by 22.2%, English language and literature was down 15.8% and English Literature was 8.1% lower.
Updated
The results are in, and grades overall are down this year. In England A*, A and C grades fell to their lowest level in at least a decade, according to the Guardian’s data journalist Pamela Duncan, who is crunching the numbers this morning.
Updated
Drop in proportion of A-levels given top grades
The proportion of A-level entries awarded an A grade or higher has fallen to the lowest for more than a decade, national figures seen by PA Media show.
Girls narrowly clawed back the lead from boys in terms of A* and A grades, although boys still outperformed their female classmates in the highest result.
For the first time, there were more entries for A-level science subjects from girls than from boys. The shift comes after a big push in recent years to encourage girls to study science and maths-based subjects.
Spanish has become the most popular foreign language at A-level, overtaking French for the first time.
The figures, published by the Joint Council for Qualifications, cover A-level entries from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
About 300,000 students are receiving their results today. In total, 25.5% of UK entries were awarded an A or A* grade this summer, the lowest proportion since 2007 when it was 25.3%. A* grades were introduced in 2010. Before this, the highest result was an A.
Girls are back in front in terms of top grades, with 25.5% of entries handed at least an A, compared with 25.4% of boys - a gap of 0.1 percentage points. But on A* grades alone, boys performed better, with 8.2% of entries getting the highest result, compared with 7.5% of girls’ entries.
Updated
No A-level results day coverage would be complete without pictures of delighted teenagers reacting to their grades. So here are a few for your consideration.
Updated
One of the room’s at Rochdale sixth form college has been adorned with a huge congratulations banner, reports Amy Walker.
There’s also cake, croissants and orange juice (not buck’s fizz) being served in champagne flutes, which marks a nice departure from the usual envelope-and-you’re-out-the-door affair.
Billal Iqbal, 18, is the college’s first student to be accepted into the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was relieved to achieve an A* in maths, A in physics, A in computer science and an A* in an extended project qualification – particularly because his flight to the States is already booked for Saturday.
“If I didn’t get in I was just going to have to go on holiday,” said Iqbal, who will begin a degree in mechanical engineering shortly as part of a scholarship for international students.
It’s been a stressful two years, he says, admitting that gaining work experience in the sector was sometimes prioritised over his studies. “Last year, I finished college a week early and started a week late and I was working the entire time,” Iqbal said.
He also appeared on BBC Radio Manchester this morning to talk about his results. “My mum was really happy. I could hear her saying ‘Quick, put the radio on, put the radio on’ when I spoke to her before,” he said.
Richard Ronksley, the college principal and chief executive, said students achieved an A-level pass rate of 99% this year. Many of the students will be heading to university, with a significant proportion going to a prestigious Russell Group institution.
“It’s really important because a lot of these are first generation university-goers. They’ve come from backgrounds where they haven’t got the historic, social, economic or cultural background that traditional university-goers have got,” Ronksley said.
But many students have chosen apprenticeships over degrees. Carson Holt, 18, who earned a C, B and an A* will take up a project management apprenticeship with Highways England this autumn.
Her first project will be managing Liverpool’s docks. “It’s quite daunting, there’s a lot of responsibility. I feel like it’s going to be really interesting though, and I’m earning quite a big wage for an apprentice,” she said.
Updated
The university admissions gap between the most and least disadvantaged groups of students in England has narrowed slightly, Ucas has reported.
The admissions service says a record 17.3% of 18-year-olds (18,900 students, which is also the highest on A-level results day) from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in England have been accepted – up 0.8 percentage points since 2018.
In Wales, 15.8% of students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have been accepted; in Northern Ireland the proportion is 13.2% – both record highs.
Across the UK, 28.2% of all 18-year-olds have been accepted through Ucas, also a new record for results day. Last year’s figure on A-level results day was 27.7%.
In England, a record 28.5% of18-year-olds have been accepted through the admissions service. In Wales, 25.8% of young people will be starting an undergraduate course. In Northern Ireland, the entry rate is a record 29.4%.
The 1% fall in the overall numbers of students placed on an undergraduate course – highlighted below – can perhaps partly be explained by a 1.9% drop in the number of 18-year-olds in the UK population.
Updated
Fewer students accepted for UK degree courses
Fewer students have been accepted on to UK degree courses this year, according to Ucas figures seen by PA Media.
In total, 408,960 people, from the UK and overseas, have had places confirmed, down 1% on the same point last year, according to data published by the university admissions service.
Among UK students, 348,890 applicants have been accepted, also a 1% fall compared with 2018.
We will have more on this as it comes in.
Updated
Many young people believe the speed of technological advances means they will one day have a job that does not yet exist, according to new research carried out by the arms company BAE Systems.
A survey of young people, timed to coincide with A-level results day, found 47% of 16 to 24-year-olds believe they will work in a role that does not currently exist. Worryingly, less than one-in-five think they have the skills required to future-proof their careers.
In response to the study BAE used a panel of futurists and technologists to predict the job roles likely to exist in 2040, and the subjects which could provide skills for those jobs.
It included roles such as an AI ethicist, who would be responsible for ensuring artificial intelligence was underpinned by robust ethics. Such a role could be crucial in the future, with the UK among a number of nations ploughing cash into so-called autonomous weapons, which use artificial intelligence to help decide when and who to kill.
BAE Systems’s principal technologist Nick Colosimo said: “Advances in technology, engineering and science, mean the workplace of today will look dramatically different in 2040.
“Whilst it’s impossible for today’s young people to know exactly where their career will take them in the next 20 years, a wide range of skills will be useful in future-proofing the careers of young people today.
“Indeed, subjects as varied as graphic design, philosophy, chemical engineering and cybersecurity will prove valuable for the jobs of tomorrow.”
The Department for Education this morning boasted of a rise in the numbers of entries to science courses, computing and history this morning. But concerns have been raised over a decline in the popularity of English among sixth formers after it emerged that there had been a 13% decline this summer in entries for all types of English A-level.
Authors and teachers’ leaders have called on ministers to urgently review the reformed English GCSEs because of concerns that the new qualifications are “sucking the joy” out of the subject and may be putting students off pursuing it at a higher level, reports Sally Weale, the Guardian’s education correspondent.
According to provisional data from the exams watchdog Ofqual, entries for English language A-level dropped from just under 18,000 in 2018 to less than 14,000 this year. Uptake was also down for English literature, from 41,000 to 37,500, while combined English language and literature dropped from 9,000 to 7,600.
The author and former teacher Joanne Harris, whose works included the best-selling novel Chocolat, said:
We should be very, very concerned at this drop in the study of English. This, combined with the loss of so many public libraries, could be the start of a catastrophic decline in the quality of our secondary students, graduates and future colleagues and employees.
This year’s A-level cohort, who will receive their results on Thursday, were the first to sit the new GCSE English qualifications introduced in 2017 as part of the former education secretary Michael Gove’s sweeping qualification changes, which were intended to make exams more rigorous and challenging.
Teachers have since expressed concerns that the new GCSE English language exam is focused too heavily on analysis of historical texts, while English literature involves memorising large amounts of content. The changes, they say, have hit the least able the hardest.
One assistant headteacher said:
GCSE English language is sucking the joy out of the study of how we communicate: the power and beauty in words. English literature favours those with excellent memories; it has reduced our most magnificent pieces of writing to a collection of quotations.
We’ve already heard from Gavin Williamson, the new education secretary, this morning. Now it’s time to hear from his counterpart in Her Majesty’s Official Opposition, Angela Rayner. She said:
Congratulations to everyone receiving their A-Level results today.
And thank you to parents and carers, education leaders and teachers for their hard work in supporting young people through their education.
We need to give more support to our students, so Labour will abolish predicted grades and implement post-qualification admissions.
This will allow those studying to make informed choices, and reduce the stress of the transition to higher education.
Students should be proud of what they have achieved today, and we are proud of them.”
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, tweeted:
Good luck to students who are getting their #ALevelResults today.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) August 15, 2019
If you get the results you want, well done. If you don't, there are plenty of different paths to follow.
Either way, look to the future - and of course a big thank you to all the hardworking teachers 👍
Labour has proposed to overhaul university admissions by delaying the process until after after exam results are published, ending controversial practices that penalise disadvantaged students.
Earlier this week, Rayner said a Labour government change the structure and timing of the higher education admissions system in England to avoid relying on inaccurate grade forecasts and to halt the controversial use of unconditional offers for school-leavers.
In most cases the offers are the result of applications made in January or earlier, but under Rayner’s plan the decision-making process at English institutions would be delayed until after 18 and 19-year-olds have had their exams marked and received their grades.
Guardian reporter Amy Walker is at at Rochdale Sixth Form College this morning, where most of the students are still eagerly awaiting their A Level results.
One of the students who have already opened theirs however, is Molly Howarth, 19 who is over the moon at having achieved two A*s and two As.
“I’m really pleased – I got into York!” said Howarth, as joyful tears on her cheeks dried.
Having taken Psychology, Biology and Sociology and an Extended Project Qualification, she is among an increasing group of young girls taking up Stem subjects during further education.
Entries for sciences overall continue to increase - in line with the the government’s drive to encourage study of Stem subjects. But for first time more female entries than male - 50.3% compared to 49.6% in 2018.
While studying for her GCSEs, Howarth was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour. Despite this she received 3 A*s and 7 As but the experience has informed her decision to study Psychology.
“I want to go into clinical psychology in the long-term. It’s something I thought about after being in hospital for all that time,” said Howarth. Howarth’s parents are also here. Her mum Jane said she was “really, really proud of her”.
Harry Tait, 18, is also struggling to stop beaming after achieving four A*s in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and an Extended Project Qualification. Although he says his grades will not have an effect on his career progression, because he’s off to Spain to train as a pilot rather than university, Tait says doing well was “really important” to him.
“No-one will ever ask me what I got in my results but I know that I got the recognition for the work I put in.”
His parents aren’t here, but they heard Tait opening his results live on BBC Radio Manchester. “That was quite scary,” he says.
Updated
Young people in Britain are increasingly sceptical of the need to go to university and are more aware of apprenticeships, according to polling.
Sixty-five per cent of young people up to the age of 16 said they thought it was important to go to university, continuing a downward trend seen since 2013, when 86% said a university education was important. A year ago the figure was 75% .
This year’s polling, by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Sutton Trust, also found nearly two-thirds of respondents were interested in doing an apprenticeship rather than going to university after leaving school. The Sutton Trust said the change “may in part be down to a growing awareness of apprenticeships and other high-quality training routes”.
Despite the decline in enthusiasm, the latest poll found no change in the proportion of secondary school pupils expecting to go into higher education: 77% said they were very or fairly likely to go to university when they were old enough, with only 40% saying they were worried about cost.
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A-level results day is upon us. The big day for hundreds of thousands of mostly teenage students has arrived. Many will be getting up just about now full of nerves about their grades - and whether they have got into university.
More than 300,000 sixth formers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will find out the results of their summer exams today, including results for the last major tranche of subjects given an overhaul by Michael Gove as education secretary.
Candidates sat reformed exams in 19 subjects for the first time, including design and technology, Chinese, further maths and politics.
Almost all A-levels have now been reformed, with the continuous testing of the previous regime removed and almost everything now riding on final exams sat at the end of the two-year courses.
Provisional data published in May showed a total of 745,585 A level entries in England this academic year, including increases in the numbers entering science courses, computing and history.
The new education secretary, Gavin Williamson, this morning sent a message of good luck to those waiting for their results. He said: “Everyone receiving results today should feel proud of their achievements – as should the thousands of teachers that supported them in our brilliant schools and colleges. Today marks the culmination of years of hard work which it’s right to recognise at this time of year.
“Of course, the minds of thousands of young people getting their results will soon turn to the next chapter in their lives, whether that’s a place at one of our world class universities, earning on an apprenticeship or entering the world of work – and I hope every one of them is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for them and I wish them the very best of luck for their results today.”
