Brian Cox: is it all down to him? Photocredit: Tixx http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3097200835
It’s A Level results day, and nearly 300,000 students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are gathering eagerly (or not) to get their results. More than a quarter – 27 percent – of papers were awarded an A (the same as last year), whilst 8.2 percent gained an A* (the top mark, and one percent more than last year.) The overall pass rate has now increased to 97.8 percent, which is the 29th year-on-year increase. Boys have also started to catch up with girls, gaining the same number of A* grades. Science and maths saw big increases (thanks to the Brian Cox effect, according to some, referring to the charming TV physicist’s popularity), whilst general studies and critical thinking, seen as soft subjects, fell. There was, however, a minuscule (blink and you’ll miss it) fall in top grades at AS level: a mere 19.3 percent got As, compared to a whopping 19.4 last year. Rises in grades are adding fuel to the fire in competition for university places, meaning that the universities are raising the bar on entry to the most sought-after courses. Often excellent students miss out on places because of this. Record numbers are applying this year, and Laura Dixon in The Times said that students are now forgoing the traditional pleasures of the Gap Year in order to focus on work.
- Tough subjects, more points. Graeme Paton on The Daily Telegraph reported the comments of David Willetts, the Higher Education Minister, who claims that the current tariff system sends out “a very bad message” to young people, as it rates all A levels the same. Those studying tougher subjects should be awarded more points by UCAS (the university admissions system – at the time of writing, the UCAS website had crashed after traffic quadrupled to its site). Whilst dance, photography and media studies were “valuable to students who wanted to specialise in those areas,” it should be acknowledged that they are not “core academic subjects.” He also added that work-based apprenticeships should be given formal recognition, and said the Government reforms would address the problems next year.
- The Brian Cox effect. Brian Cox has spoken out about his influence on Physics, reported The Guardian: “I think there has been a shift. I don’t think it’s just down to me, but we can’t underestimate the effect of television. The BBC has got to be congratulated, because it’s got a strategy. I think the government now, the ball is in their court. The media, professional bodies, universities and teachers are trying hard and have made a difference, but now the government has got to seize the moment. What we’ve done is change the image of science. Not completely, but we’ve made a good start. Now we need a national strategy to make Britain the best place in the world to do science and engineering.”
- A longhaired comedian speaks. The television personality Russell Brand tweeted: “British youths! Good luck with your A Levels, but don’t take it too seriously. I’ve got none and still married a pop star.”
- It’s all bad! The Independent, somewhat cheerily, took the opportunity to highlight youth unemployment. It’s “especially worrying” as “if young people can’t establish themselves in the world of work early in their careers they will find it much more difficult later on – the ‘lost-generation’ phenomenon that marked out the 1980s, when youth unemployment was even higher than today.”
- It’s not all bad. The Sun, however, was more optimistic, highlighting the opportunities for A Level students with organisations such as the supermarket chain Morrisons, hotel group Travelodge, the National Stud, and accountancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
More on education
- Illiteracy on the rise
- The sentencing of Charlie Gilmour
- Summer holidays to end?
