The news of the scrapping of plans for pupils to apply to university once they have received their A-level results – rather than on the basis of predicted grades – is the worst since the coalition government put up university tuition fees.
The current system of relying on teachers' predictions is deeply flawed. We know this because, according to the admissions service Ucas, only 10% of predicted grades are accurate. This means all too often students are forced to take gap years or go through clearing because they have applied for inappropriate courses.
I applied for a university that wanted three As, which I was predicted. But I ended up not getting that all-important A in history.
Fortunately I had decided to put in a deferred application, giving me a year's break from education. That allowed me to work full time, as well as to resit my history exam and get the A I needed. I was accepted at Sussex – but what if I hadn't thought taking a gap year was a good idea? I don't know what I would have done.
Maybe I would have gone through clearing, and done a different degree elsewhere. But students should be told to aim high, not to settle for whatever university accepts you with the grades you have. Clearing is a flawed process, and it can be the lucky first few callers that get the decent places.
The Ucas admissions system is also unfair to students predicted lower grades than they finally achieve. During my time as a GCSE tutor, helping pupils at a tuition centre, I came across several children whose abilities were assumed to be low. One 15-year-old boy had been entered for foundation English GCSE, a decision I completely disagreed with. He was fortunate as his dad complained to the school and he was able to take the higher paper.
Many pupils' abilities are underestimated – especially in schools in less privileged areas. Teenagers from low-income families are less likely to challenge their teachers' assessments, while middle-class parents intercede more often on their child's behalf.
But what I mostly disagree with is the idea that there isn't time in a school year to accommodate both exams and applications. Perhaps it would help if there were fewer exams and more emphasis on coursework. After all, in the real world, your employer is unlikely to grade you on how many facts you can remember.
