A-level results, published today by the Joint Council for Qualifications, show that the percentage of A*s achieved was 7.6%, down on last year’s total of 7.9%. 37% of all 18 year olds in the UK take at least one A-level.
The number of A levels awarded A* or A grades this summer has dipped slightly by 0.3 percentage points to 26.3% while the overall pass rate (A*-E) increased marginally by 0.1 percentage points to 98.1%.
The
NASUWTsaid the rise in the number of ‘facilitating’ or ‘traditional’ A-level subjects is the likely consequence of the introduction of the English Baccalaureate in school league tables in 2010.
The
unionalso expressed concern about the increasing gender divide in students’ subject choices.
“This is an issue that the Government cannot ignore as it could have serious ramifications for the future education and employment options of boys and girls,” said Chris Keates, General Secretary of the
NASUWT.
She added: “Congratulations must go to young people and their teachers who have worked so hard to deliver yet another excellent set of results.
“This year’s results have been achieved against a backdrop of false claims from the Government that the current A-level system lacks rigour, that exams are getting easier and that more reform is the only answer to this ‘crisis’.
“This undermines the achievements of young people and their teachers and it threatens to fatally undermine the principle of a broad qualifications structure which enables all young people to make their most of their skills and talents.”
Ministers said there are more students doing maths, further maths, physics, chemistry and biology at A level than ever before – both in terms of number of entries and as a percentage of the cohort.
Education Minister Elizabeth Truss said:
“It is extremely encouraging that there has been such a significant rise in the number of students taking A-levels in subjects like maths and the sciences.
“These subjects are not just fascinating and worth studying for their own sake – they are also the ones which open up modern, high-tech careers and are most in demand by employers and universities. This is good for the economy and will help the UK compete.”
Michael Turner, Director of the Joint Council for Qualifications said:
“This year, over 850,000 A-level grades and over 1.3 million AS grades were issued. This is an opportunity to thank the tens of thousands of examiners, who are mostly teachers, who each year work tirelessly to mark the examination papers.
“The continued rise in subjects such as the sciences, Mathematics, and the Extended Project, will be welcomed. However, that so few students take a language at A-level is disappointing and although Spanish continues to show growth the overall trend remains downwards.
“With any reverse in this decline likely to emerge first at GCSE, it will be interesting to see whether the Ebacc has had an impact on this year’s GCSE entry patterns.”