Wrapping up results day
That’s all from us today. Students (and teachers): it’s time to go and celebrate. To all of those who picked up their results today, we wish you the best of luck with whatever you do next. If you’re not quite sure what path to take, the Guardian’s Q&A with careers advisers is kicking off now.
Here’s a summary of the key points from today:
- The proportion of A-level students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland receiving the highest grades has fallen for a fifth year in a row, and girls have caught up with boys in attaining A* grades.
- In Wales there was a particularly big drop in A* grades, from 7.3% to 6.6%, including a fall of more than a full percentage point among boys, from 7.8% to 6.7%.
- A record number of A-level students – 424,000 – have achieved a place at university, up 3% from last year, according to Ucas.
- The number of EU students placed in UK universities rose to 26,800 – an increase of 11% and the highest figure on record, despite fears that Brexit might deter students from applying.
- Education experts have raised concerns about the falling number of students taking creative subjects and modern languages. Entries to languages are down, with the number taking French falling by 6%.
- Maths was the most popular subject for the second year in a row, ahead of English, and greater numbers took further maths. Psychology continues to grow in popularity behind biology in third place.
Updated
Before we head off, here’s some mildly mind-boggling analysis of today’s results from the Education Policy Institute, looking at the gender gap in subject choice and results
Our analysis of A-level results shows the gender gap in entries and attainment pic.twitter.com/OpcOOWPJ47
— Education Policy (@EduPolicyInst) August 18, 2016
Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy in Walsall, West Midlands, has got in touch to tell us about its students’ A-level grades. The academy is celebrating record results and is especially proud of this group of students – they’re set to follow a range of paths, including an accountancy apprenticeship, apprenticeships at Rolls Royce and medicine at a Russell Group university.
Toby Salt, chief executive of Ormiston Academies Trust, which sponsors Shelfield Academy, said: “I am immensely proud of these students and of OAT’s part in their success. We have always been a trust prepared to take on the toughest educational challenges and many of our academies are in less affluent areas – but we are absolutely committed to providing all young people with the opportunities their better-off peers have, so that they too can fulfil their potential.”
Yesterday, we heard from a group of A-level students waiting to get their results. One was Tabetha Scott, a 33-year-old full-time mum from Hertfordshire, who has got back in touch today to let us know that she successfully achieved the B in biology she needed to study midwifery.
She said she had managed to complete assignments around her two-year-old’s naps and during “bedtime study sessions”.
She added: “It’s been exhausting. But, whatever the outcome, it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
And her dedication paid off, as she is now on her way to study midwifery.
“I achieved a B which is what I was hoping for and I have been accepted onto my course,” she confirmed today. “I’m very happy and relieved.”
“I still have to finalise the fine details of my son’s childcare arrangements and finish the bursary application. Once everything is set up for September I think I’ll be able to celebrate the start of my new adventure.”
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A-level results day normally involves pictures of young women jumping in the air. But here is a student who – despite being a clog dancer and therefore presumably great at jumping – has her feet firmly on the ground.
Robyn Wallace, 17, from Littleborough, near Rochdale, managed to not only set up her own 50-strong clog dancing club, but also won at the European Brass Band Championships where she played percussion, PA reports.
She is now off to the University of Sheffield to study physics. She said: “We practise once a week in a pub, so I make sure I have time to revise for my A-level exams around that.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen when I go to Sheffield - there aren’t any clubs set up around there because clog dancing seems to be a Lancashire thing, so I might have to take the initiative myself.
“None of my friends take part in it. I’ve told them about it and they look at me like I’ve got six heads.”
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The Russell Group, which represents research intensive universities, has said it welcomes the large numbers of students taking traditional subjects, but adds that it is concerned about the fall in numbers studying foreign languages.
A spokesperson said: “If the UK is to engage fully with the wider world in business, diplomacy and academia, we need more young people studying languages.
“The continued popularity of maths, and increase in entries for further maths is welcome. Many of our universities require these subjects for their degree courses, particularly for science, engineering, economics and mathematics itself. The future prospects of students and the success of the UK economy are boosted by greater numbers taking maths and sciences.”
Next month the group will launch a new resource for teachers to help them advise students on post-16 subject choices.
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The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, tweeted his congratulations to those receiving their results today and told them to “feel proud”.
I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to all of those receiving their A-Level results today. pic.twitter.com/Ild689hCGt
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) August 18, 2016
Meanwhile, Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, has also congratulated students and thanked the staff and family members who supported them. She said:
“For many, this will be a day of joy and opportunity, allowing them to pursue new chapters of their lives whether that be work, training, or further study. A heartfelt thanks also to parents, teachers and school leaders who have helped thousands of young people on their journey.”
She also praised staff and students for doing their best amid “unmanaged, ill-thought-out” education reforms from the government.
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In addition to concerns about the number of students taking creative subjects, experts have highlighted the lack of young people achieving qualifications that could lead to careers in engineering.
Prof Will Stewart, vice-president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, said not enough students were taking the subjects that would enable a career in the sector, such as physics and design and technology. He said:
“If we don’t reverse this trend, thousands of young people are effectively closing the door on an exciting, creative career. We are also at risk of stifling economic growth if we do not produce the future engineers we so critically need.
“There continues to be huge demand for engineers so it is important that young people continue their studies into higher education. The country needs more people studying science and engineering subjects at university and taking up apprenticeships.”
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Gender gap in subject choices persists
Here’s some more detail on the gender gap in students’ subject choice, from Pamela Duncan.
The gender gap remained evident in certain subjects this year, most notably in computing where fewer than one in 10 students sitting the exam were female. If there is any light at the end of the coding tunnel it is that this year’s female participation level actually marked an improvement on 2015, when just 8.5% of those taking the exam were girls.
Of the 35,000 students who took physics just 22% were female. They almost made up a third of those who sat economics.
Conversely just one in 10 male students took performing/expressive arts while just one in five students who sat Welsh exams were boys.
Below are the 10 subjects most dominated by male and female students.
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Too many students "held back by their background", warns access body
Les Ebdon, director of Fair Access to Higher Education, was welcomed the “significant increase” in the number of students from the least advantaged backgrounds being offered a university place. But he adds:
“The gap in participation is still too wide. The most advantaged young people are still 2.5 times more likely to enter higher education than their more disadvantaged peers. While we celebrate the achievements of thousands of talented young people today, we must not forget that there are many more who have the talent to excel in higher education but are being held back by their background.”
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Rohan Yadav, a student from King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford, achieved 6 A*s. With a choice between the London School of Economics and Trinity College, Cambridge, he has chosen the former.
“I aspire to have a career in the financial sector so I thought it would be better to go to LSE. I’m really thankful to my parents and teachers for supporting me and helping me achieve so much.”
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Marisa Bruce, a politics teacher at St Paul’s Way Trust School in Tower Hamlets, is extremely proud of her students.
“There are five A*s with university destinations including SOAS, King’s College London and Oxford,” she said.
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Looking again at the gender gap, Pamela Duncan, reports that language subjects were dominated by female students.
Just under a third of those who sat French this year were male although this actually marks an increase on last year’s exam (the male participation rate was 32% this year compared to 30.8% in 2015). There was a similar trend among Spanish students.
While no languages struck a gender balance, the two best language subjects were German and other modern languages which had male participation rates of 39.2% and 42.3% respectively in 2016
Brave students from Salford City college open their results on camera
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Results day at Thomas Rotherham college, South Yorkshire
Frances Perraudin is at Thomas Rotherham college in Rotherham, where education secretary Justine Greening did her A-levels. The sixth form college has around 1,500 students from across South Yorkshire.
Dr Richard Williams, the college’s principal, says the year’s results have been “in line with cohort expectations”, with an overall pass rate of 97.5% and 77 students achieving three A grades or the equivalent. “The majority of students come from backgrounds where there isn’t higher education in their background and they come from area that have been designated widening participation areas,” he says.
Student Peter Fleming has got an A in A-level maths, but described himself as “low key disappointed”. “I wanted an A*, but one test has let me down,” he says. “It should be OK though. I’ll just resit it next year.” Fleming wants to go on to study either natural sciences or maths with physics, with a view to possibly becoming a researcher.
“I wanted to go to Cambridge, but I’m not sure now. We’ll have to see.” He says he’s not bothered that Justine Greening went to Thomas Rotherham college, but he likes the fact that footballer Jamie Vardy is among the list of the school’s alumni.
Joey O’Brien got an A in AS-level Spanish and a C in philosophy. “Spanish is my main subject, so I’m happy I got an A in that,” he says. “I’m not so bothered about the philosophy though. A C [grade] is a C.” He wants to go on to work as an interpreter or teach English in Spain and is thinking about doing Hispanic studies or interpreting at university.
“It’s the last year of relatively predictable results because it’s the last year where students will be bringing half their results with them from the AS exams, so it’s the end of an era,” says Williams. “So results days are going to be much less predictable in future.”
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Benjamin from Winchester got in touch to tell us that he won’t be going to university despite doing well in his A-levels, as the cost has put him off. He said:
“I was lucky enough to get high enough grades in maths, modern history, law and economics to be able to apply for a school leaver programme. I chose this instead of university because I don’t want to pay £9,000 a year for a degree I will never need, doing a subject I’m not interested in.
“I was predicted lower grades than I achieved in a couple of subjects. The low predictions really get to you. Making you feel that beating them is impossible, but I did and it has given me a lot of confidence going into my second year.”
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Here’s some detail on which subjects are getting the most A*s this year, from our data journalist, Pamela Duncan.
Over a quarter of students taking further maths earned an A* this year, down slightly on 2015, while 17.5% of students taking mathematics also saw stars.
A high proportion of language students managed to attain the highest grade including those sitting other modern languages (an umbrella term which encompasses languages including Italian, Japanese and Mandarin), German, Irish and French. Art and design subjects also featured, with one in eight students receiving an A* grade.
We’re starting to hear from schools and colleges across the country – and some are doing incredibly well.
Magdalen College School in Oxford has reported its highest-ever percentage of A*s, with 48% of students achieving the top grade, and 88% achieving A*-A. In the cohort of 175 pupils, 22 achieved four or more A*s, and 49 received 3 or more.
Meanwhile, Hills Road Sixth Form in Cambridge saw 92.8% of its students receive A-C grades, with almost half at A* or A.
College principal Linda Sinclair said: “We are absolutely delighted; not only with the very high percentage of top grades but also with the consistency of performance across subjects. In 36 of our 40 A-level subjects, students achieved a 100% pass rate with an average pass rate in the remaining subjects of 98%. Our students leave us with our warmest congratulations and our very best wishes for their future happiness and success.”
We know that numbers don’t always give the full picture and we’re keen to hear from more schools about successes, challenges and personal achievements – get in touch with your stories.
Exam system "not fit for purpose", says NUT
Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, has congratulated schools on their achievements but says there are “continuing problems of an examination system which is in several ways not fit for purpose.”
He says changes to the curriculum have been introduced too quickly, and that schools have been juggling a new curriculum at AS-level with old syllabuses for year 13 students. He added:
While results nationally may have remained in line with those in the previous year, the result of awarding bodies being required to adopt a ‘comparative outcomes’ approach will mean some schools and colleges may see considerable variation. This reflects teachers’ level of discomfort about the speed in which the new specification has been introduced.
Secondly, we are once again seeing a continuation of the gradual trend towards the more traditional academic subjects required by the Russell universities. This will be reinforced by the new EBacc requirements at GCSE. It means that more young people are choosing to study subjects considered to be of ‘higher value’ rather than those in which they may be more interested. Problems with teacher recruitment are probably a significant reason for the fall in modern foreign languages. In a modern world this should be of concern to all.
Courtney said that young people need a greater range of opportunities for apprenticeships, and called for the re-introduction of maintenance grants.
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Teachers and students have been getting in touch with their stories.
Eighteen-year-old Ama Appiah, from Abbey College Manchester, achieved A*AA in psychology, english language and history. She now has a choice between going to the University of St Andrews or University of Nottingham to study history.
“I am so grateful for the support I received. Now I can go on to university to study history and I can’t wait to see what the future holds,” she said.
Abbey College Manchester is celebrating a record year with 87.8% of students achieving A*-C grades and 42.9% achieving A*-A.
You can get in touch with us by clicking the ‘Contribute’ button in the live blog, by filling in our form or by adding the Guardian on Whatsapp +44(0)7867825056 - please include ‘A levels’ in the caption.
The Universities and Colleges Union has called for a “proper debate on higher education and how it is funded”.
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said:
While there have been some unusual pitches to students to fill places this year, we hope they will look beyond the freebies and gimmicks and spend time properly researching their options.
Deciding whether or not to study, and where, is a life-altering decision and universities must not put undue pressure on students. Students are in a strong position this year and should not be rushed into a decision.
For too long university funding policy has been based on looking for new ways to squeeze more out of students. Higher education is at a crossroads at the moment as the sector grapples with the Brexit fallout and government plans to further increase fees. We believe what is really needed is a proper debate about how fund our universities and our students.
Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), added that students should look at alternatives to traditional, full-time degree courses.
While many young people will now be considering going to a university or negotiating the clearing process, it is important to remember there are other more affordable education and training routes available which can lead directly to a career.
It is crucial that young people are aware that further education colleges also offer a wide range of higher level technical and professional education, including apprenticeships and part-time study options.
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Students from Salford City College discover their A-level results
Our North of England reporter Frances Perraudin is at Thomas Rotherham College in Rotherham, the alma mater of the education secretary, Justine Greening.
Of students I've spoken to at Thomas Rotherham College, 1 knew Justine Greening went here. All knew Jamie Vardy did pic.twitter.com/6xbYQGp09v
— Frances Perraudin (@fperraudin) August 18, 2016
Students at Thomas Rotherham College digesting their results. One is gutted he got an A and not an A*. pic.twitter.com/cVKmQVQY2G
— Frances Perraudin (@fperraudin) August 18, 2016
Richard Williams, head at Justine Greening's old school, says it's the last year that results will be predictable. pic.twitter.com/vKbwf0zHb2
— Frances Perraudin (@fperraudin) August 18, 2016
Emma Kate Jones got 4 As at AS level. She doesn't know what she'll do at uni yet, but knows she'll take a gap year. pic.twitter.com/AQHZ6OZkhk
— Frances Perraudin (@fperraudin) August 18, 2016
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Here’s some analysis from Helena Bengstsson, editor for the data projects team at the Guardian, looking at why Wales (and Welsh boys in particular) have done so badly compared with England.
Comparing the results between England and Wales for boys, the subjects that have the biggest differences are maths, physics and biology. For maths, in England 19.2% of the boys got a A* compared with just 16.6% in Wales. In physics 6.3% of the Welsh boys achieved an A*, while the result for English boys was 8.9%. And biology showed a similar pattern, 9% in England, 6.7% in Wales.
Girls in Wales were also doing worse in biology with 6.3% gaining A* compared with 9.7% in England.
Comparing all subjects, both boys and girls in Wales were about 1.5 percentage points down regarding the A*, with 1.9 percentage points for boys and 1.3 percentage points for girls.
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Nick Gibb, minister of state for school standards, has offered congratulations from the Department for Education. He said:
“Congratulations to everyone collecting their results today, which are the culmination of years of hard work by students and teachers. I wish everyone getting their results success as they embark on the next stage of their lives.
“We want to make our country a place where there is no limit on anyone’s ambition or what they can achieve. It is hugely encouraging that this year sees a record 424,000 applicants already securing a place at our world-class universities, with increasing numbers from disadvantaged backgrounds gaining a place as well. “
More EU students accepted to UK universities than ever before
There has been a double-digit increase in the percentage of EU students being awarded university places, according to the admissions service Ucas.
The number of EU students placed in UK universities rose to 26,800 – an increase of 11% and the highest figure on record.
UK universities have been anxious to see if the Brexit vote would affect applications. Some speculated that the number of EU students could rise this year as students rushed to secure places while funding is guaranteed.
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A bit more detail here on how students have performed compared with last year, from the Guardian’s data journalist, Pamela Duncan.
The proportion of students achieving a C grade or better in maths was slightly up on last year, although these grades were still below that achieved by students taking their A-levels between 2010 and 2014.
The equivalent results in English showed no change between 2015 and 2016. However, the proportion of students achieving A*, A and B grades fell slightly when compared with the 2015 results.
The proportion of A-level students achieving an A* or A grade in the 2016 exams decreased but only by 0.1%
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Decline in languages and creative subjects requires 'urgent action', say experts
Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has voiced concern about the decline of modern foreign languages and other “minority” subjects, such as music and design and technology.
He said:
“Sixth-forms and colleges are finding it increasingly difficult to run courses where there are relatively small numbers of students because of severe funding pressures.
“The level of post-16 funding is woeful and urgently needs to be addressed. We are in danger of becoming trapped in a vicious circle where entries to these very important subjects continues to decline and there are consequently fewer people to teach them in the future exacerbating an ongoing recruitment crisis. The government must invest more money in post-16 education as a matter of urgency.”
Russell Hobby, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, added:
“We’ve seen 8.8% fewer students taking music A-Level, and a staggering 33% drop in entries to art and design subjects at AS-Level.
“This is something we need to watch carefully in future years as a continuing decline may be partly due to the impact of the EBacc at GCSE, where little room for additional subject choices means students can be limited in their choices at this higher level.
He also called for a national strategy to address the decline in modern languages.
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Here’s a breakdown of the most popular A-level subjects sat by students this summer, from the Guardian’s data journalist, Pamela Duncan.
More than 92,000 students took A-level maths again this year, making it the most popular subject among students followed by English, a subject which almost 85,000 students sat in 2016.
Science subjects also retained their place in the top 10 as did psychology, art and design and sociology.
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Exam boards say results are stable, despite fears of turbulence
Andrew Hall, the chief executive of AQA exam board, said it was “a clear and stable set of results”, which showed there had been a “safe delivery of the new qualifications”, despite fears of turbulence.
On the dip in the percentage of the candidates getting the highest grades, Hall said it was a “very, very small drop” in students getting A*, which represented 836 grades out of the hundreds of thousands of entries. “It’s very, very small and not statistically significant.”
Hall said the decline in modern languages continued, but there was come encouragement that efforts to address the low numbers of A*s had paid off. In the past it has proved difficult for students to get the highest grades, but changes to the assessment process rates this have resulted in an increase in A*s.
The percentage of students getting A* in German A-level has gone up 1.3 percentage points; French has gone up 0.7 percentage points and Spanish 0.3. Spanish, which had been seeing an improved uptake in previous years, dipped 2.7% this year.
Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he feared the decline in modern languages would continue, as cash-strapped schools cut back from from four to three A-levels.
Mark Bedlow, chief delivery officer of the OCR examination board, said Thursday’s results showed that the new qualifications were working well, despite fears about possible turbulence.
“There was a lot of concern about how this would go. One of the two key messages to take away from today is that both schools and candidates have got through this first stage of reform extremely successfully.”
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A-level results show another drop in A* and A grade students
The latest exam figures show a fall in the number of students attaining the top grades, education editor, Richard Adams reports:
The number of A-level students across the UK receiving the highest grades has fallen for the fifth year in a row, with girls catching up with boys in attaining the most sought-after A* grade.
The overall pass rate of all students receiving grades stayed unchanged from last year, but there was a particularly big drop in those attaining A and A* grades among students in Wales, including a fall of more than a full percentage point in the proportion of boys receiving A*s.
Across the UK, 8.1% of candidates received A*s, a drop of 0.1 compared with 2015, with a fall among boys to 8.5% and girls to 7.7%. But in Wales the performance of boys declined from 7.8% to 6.7%, alongside a fall from 7.3% to 6.6% overall, which will be viewed with alarm by Welsh education reformer
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We’ll be hosting a live Clearing Q&A over on Guardian Students from 2pm today, with experts offering advice on what to do if you’ve missed your grades. You can talk directly to admissions officers, psychologists and careers advisers – the comments are open for you to submit your questions now.
It could be tougher to successfully challenge grades this year after Ofqual, the exam regulator, introduced new rules in response to a dramatic rise in appeals. We’ve put together a guide to how the changes could affect students.
Here are some recommendations from teachers on how the annual results day photos could be made a little more accurate...
Let's hope our A-Level students do better than last year. pic.twitter.com/PZvzVqrkAq
— Mike Cameron (@mikercameron) August 17, 2016
Forget pretty girls leaping into the air. Photos should really be of kids working out UMS to see if they want a re-mark #honestalevelphotos
— Rachel Jones (@rlj1981) August 17, 2016
The nine year old with the maths A Level asking if they can go out to play now #honestalevelphotos
— Anne Taylor (@AnneTaylor100) August 17, 2016
This week’s Secret Teacher writes to remind disappointed students and parents that exams only test a narrow range of skills – and are not a judgement on a person’s character, regardless of the results.
They test time management. They test elements of competence in individual subjects. But, ultimately, they really test how good a person is at sitting exams. They are infinitely less effective at testing passion, inspiration and potential. And I’ve yet to come across an exam that can assess honesty, loyalty or sense of humour.
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Here’s some more detail on the number of people who have been accepted to university this summer:
- Some 201,000 UK 18 year-olds have been accepted to university – up 2% on 2015 despite the school-leaver population falling by 2.3%. UK 18-year-olds from the least advantaged backgrounds are 7% more likely to be placed than in 2015 – though a wide gap between disadvantaged and wealthy students remains. The most advantaged young people are still 2.5 times more likely to be accepted to university.
- Despite fears about the Brexit putting EU students off coming to the UK, the number of EU students placed at a university has increased to 26,800 – up 11% to the highest number on record. The number of international students getting a place has stayed around the same level as 2015.
- The gap between male and female students has narrowed slightly but remains persistent. Over 27,400 more young women than men from the UK have been placed at university this summer.
- There are also more acceptances from older age groups, with acceptances for those aged 25 or older from the UK up 8%.
The annual tradition of #resultsdayexcuses is also off to a flying start on Twitter...
#resultsdayexcuses I thought it was our 467th mock exam
— Charlotte (@ImCharl0tte) August 13, 2016
#resultsdayexcuses brexit
— elita gashi (@yesitselita) August 17, 2016
#ResultsDayExcuses i didnt forward that chain mail to 15 friends from 2010
— bree loves nia (@fairyprincehood) August 17, 2016
The invigilator was wearing socks and sandals how was I meant to cope!? #resultsdayexcuses
— Results Day Excuses (@ResultDayProbs) August 13, 2016
#ResultsDayExcuses
— A Level Problems (@ALevelProblems) August 17, 2016
Too busy thinking of something funny to tweet about the exam I was simultaneously failing
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Record number of A-level students offered university place
A record number of A-level students have achieved a place at university, according to Mary Curnock Cook, the chief executive of Ucas.
She confirmed that 424,000 students would be offered their first or second choice of degree course, up 3% from last year.
She told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme:
“It does mean that young people now are something like 4% more likely to be going to university because, although the population was down a bit this year, we’ve actually seen a rise in the numbers, so that’s really good news.”
In years gone by, students would have had to go into their school or college to find out what grades they’d got and how this had affected their university applications. But today’s school-leavers will be already by finding out whether they’ve got university place through Ucas track, which opened at 8am.
They will still need to go into school to discuss their results with teachers and, if their grades aren’t quite as expected, decide what to do next - so they may find themselves in limbo until they get there. We’ve got plenty of advice on Clearing for those in that situation.
The mood ahead of today’s results on social media has been one of (witty) apprehension...
On results day
— A Level Problems (@ALevelProblems) August 17, 2016
"hey, what did you g-"
me: pic.twitter.com/ybtmeJSeGV
When the weather forecast knows results day is coming... #alevelresults #resultsday pic.twitter.com/0M788eV7eG
— chlö (@Chl0eegreenn) August 17, 2016
predicted grades vs actual results #alevelresults pic.twitter.com/9cHHegvVS3
— ed smoth (@ed_smoth) August 17, 2016
#ResultsDayExcuses Before and after opening the envelope pic.twitter.com/wmC9y1QjfC
— Kam Targonski (@kamtargonski) August 17, 2016
It’s A-level results day. Soon, hundreds of thousands of students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be finding out their grades.
This year’s exam season hasn’t been without controversy. At AS-level, there have been warnings that schools may see “variability in their results” as a result of major reforms to the curriculum. This is the first year that schools have offered new AS exams in a variety of subjects, including English language and the sciences.
Meanwhile, there are concerns that it will be harder for students to successfully appeal against their results this summer. The exam regulator Ofqual has changed the rules governing exam re-marks in response to a dramatic rise in the number of students challenging their grades.
It’s also a nervous time for universities, as admissions departments compete to recruit school-leavers, with many offering freebies and accepting students with lower entry grades.
This morning, the Guardian’s education editor Richard Adams reports that university graduates continue to enjoy higher earnings than their non-graduate peers, but there are signs the gap may soon shrink, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
We’ll be bringing you updates on all this throughout the morning. But we also want to hear from you – are you a student deciding what to do next? Perhaps you’re a teacher in a school that’s faced particular challenges this year – we know that exam results don’t always give the full story, and we’d like to hear yours.
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