A-Level results day

[FortuitousFluke]

Thought I'd throw up a thread just in case anybody is getting results or knows anybody getting results today, BBC link below, I know the new standard is for all threads to have an RSS feed feel:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-45171007

I was watching the news this morning and it was quite interesting to see that unconditional offers have increased 20x in the last 15 or so years. I don't think anybody in my sixth form received an unconditional when we were applying, I do wonder what the rationale behind it is.

Anyway best of luck to anybody receiving results or with kids/relatives receiving results, I remember absolutely bricking it when I got mine.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

I was watching the news this morning and it was quite interesting to see that unconditional offers have increased 20x in the last 15 or so years. I don't think anybody in my sixth form received an unconditional when we were applying, I do wonder what the rationale behind it is.

It is a massive problem and is growing rapidly. It could be seen as a blessing, and for me when I was applying probably would have been, as could the fact that there are more university places than ever for conditional offers at increasingly lowered grades. It does devalue the system though and I would encourage more students to skip university and go straight into the workplace - if you have a bit of 'get up and go' about you then you will quickly eclipse most university candidates.

The problem with unconditional offers is that a lot of people then don't bother. This will bite them when it comes to jobs that look back at A Level grades as it says a lot about the individual.

It is also an interesting time for medical applicants. We need more doctors and to fulfill this acceptance grades are being lowered for all but Oxbridge candidates - scary stuff!

 

[D3K]

I do wonder what the rationale behind it is.

3x the cost of tuition, ravaged funding, less and less people going?

Quite obvious they want to reduce as many hurdles as possible. The standard of education certainly hasn't been getting higher.

 

[aardvark]

I do wonder what the rationale behind it is.

its all about making money - quality of education doesn't matter, its about the numbers.

 

[FortuitousFluke]

It is a massive problem and is growing rapidly. It could be seen as a blessing, and for me when I was applying probably would have been, as could the fact that there are more university places than ever for conditional offers at increasingly lowered grades. It does devalue the system though and I would encourage more students to skip university and go straight into the workplace - if you have a bit of 'get up and go' about you then you will quickly eclipse most university candidates.

The problem with unconditional offers is that a lot of people then don't bother. This will bite them when it comes to jobs that look back at A Level grades as it says a lot about the individual.

It is also an interesting time for medical applicants. We need more doctors and to fulfill this acceptance grades are being lowered for all but Oxbridge candidates - scary stuff!

It's interesting isn't it? I think like you I would have killed for an unconditional offer in the run up to my A-levels, but after I got the result I think I would have felt my education had been devalued. I was the first in my family to attend a formal university, most of the people in my class were at least within the first generation of their family to attend, so having to strive for it and knowing that you had achieved, and equally were fortunate to have succeeded as others hadn't was really important to us.

I wonder if the students getting their results these days feel the same way about uni or if it's now just a bit of a formality.

3x the cost of tuition, ravaged funding, less and less people going?

Quite obvious they want to reduce as many hurdles as possible. The standard of education certainly hasn't been getting higher.

Is there any evidence to say that the higher education options available now are of lower quality than say 10 years ago? I've had a look at the figures and applications are definitely down but it doesn't necessarily correspond that quality is suffering, especially given that rates are 3x what they used to be.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

It's interesting isn't it? I think like you I would have killed for an unconditional offer in the run up to my A-levels, but after I got the result I think I would have felt my education had been devalued. I was the first in my family to attend a formal university, most of the people in my class were at least within the first generation of their family to attend, so having to strive for it and knowing that you had achieved, and equally were fortunate to have succeeded as others hadn't was really important to us.

I wonder if the students getting their results these days feel the same way about uni or if it's now just a bit of a formality.

I was in the same position, I suspect many of us were. An unconditional offer certainly would have taken the pressure off. I think most students/parents still rate university, but I can see that changing before too long. Especially with the cost of it now.

 

[Semple]

its all about making money - quality of education doesn't matter, its about the numbers.

As above, Universities are as much of a business as any other company, they just specialise in selling an education.

I thought i read on the BBC this morning that there had been a decline in uptake for university places, to the point that universities are now trying to bribe students with unconditional offers with a cash sum.

 

[kinobestew123]

I got an unconditional offer to Manchester Met 10 years ago. It didn't mean I then slacked off with my A-Levels because I wanted to make sure I got the prescribed grades to go to a different/better University.

It was nice to have the safety net though in case anything disastrous happened.

I believe the main reason that Universities are giving unconditional places is due to increased competition for the best students.

I heard an interview on Radio 4 with a VC (I think) of a University that was giving a lot of unconditional places. He was challenged as to whether this meant students then slacked off with their A-Levels. He responded that if students obtained their predicted grades then the University gave them a non-repayable grant thus maintaining the incentive to do well.

 

[D3K]

Is there any evidence to say that the higher education options available now are of lower quality than say 10 years ago? I've had a look at the figures and applications are definitely down but it doesn't necessarily correspond that quality is suffering, especially given that rates are 3x what they used to be.

I've been watching a family member go through the secondary education system and so far up until the start of A-levels it's been a joke. For example, the level of mathematics at GCSE is what I would have expected in the years just prior to GCSE. I'm extrapolating based on common sense - they can't suddenly jump up to a standard that is better than 20 years ago having just come of out of a system that is significantly worse.

 

[Nitefly]

Good luck to those getting results today!!

... are there any? Think we are just old fogeys on here these days O_o

 

[NMBlack]

It is also an interesting time for medical applicants. We need more doctors and to fulfill this acceptance grades are being lowered for all but Oxbridge candidates - scary stuff!

I teach medical students (undergraduate and graduate-entry) at a large university hospital in South London, and am involved in the admissions process regarding interviewing candidates. While it is the case that entry grades are being lowered by some universities, bear in mind that A-level grades aren't the only requirement for getting onto an undergraduate medical degree course. Interviews are just as important and useful, as A-level grades won't tell you anything about a candidate's interpersonal skills, verbal communication skills, capacity for empathy, honesty etc.

We do desperately need more doctors working in the NHS. Lowering entry requirements for getting onto degree courses is one way of doing it, but obviously we won't see if it works for a few more years in terms of both increasing numbers but also maintaining or improving quality. I'd prefer it if the shortage of doctors was addressed by improving working conditions and proper funding (to encourage existing doctors to stay in the NHS) but I can't see that happening under our current government.

 

[Iron-man]

Best of luck to all getting there results

 

[RaohNS]

Good luck to all students getting their results.

Next week is GCSE results day to which my partners eldest is having hers. Sadly, I didn't see her doing any revision in the run up to her exams despite encouragement.

In some part I blame colleges for going the "unconditional" offer route. I attended a UCAS talk a couple of weeks ago on the issue of unconditional university places (and by extension colleges were raised) and the research so far indicates a drop of at least 2 or more grades in 75% of cases. I forget what the improvement was but it was ridiculously low (less than 5%). In other words, the kids now are getting things handed to them, rather than having the necessity to continue to do well.

When I was at college I was required to have a minimum 5 x GCSE grades A*-C. University would only offer me the place with a Distinction (luckily I got a triple grade (nothing less than distinction in my course). But now kids are getting into Uni with almost no qualification standards

 

[Bassmansam]

Working for a certain northern based uni at their campus in london i can say it is almost certainly about the money!

 

[malachi]

Good luck to all students getting their results.

Next week is GCSE results day to which my partners eldest is having hers. Sadly, I didn't see her doing any revision in the run up to her exams despite encouragement.

In some part I blame colleges for going the "unconditional" offer route. I attended a UCAS talk a couple of weeks ago on the issue of unconditional university places (and by extension colleges were raised) and the research so far indicates a drop of at least 2 or more grades in 75% of cases. I forget what the improvement was but it was ridiculously low (less than 5%). In other words, the kids now are getting things handed to them, rather than having the necessity to continue to do well.

When I was at college I was required to have a minimum 5 x GCSE grades A*-C. University would only offer me the place with a Distinction (luckily I got a triple grade (nothing less than distinction in my course). But now kids are getting into Uni with almost no qualification standards

But as someone else said, its a business. The more who go to Uni, the more money the Government makes, so they need to reduce the barrier for entry to achieve that. They don't really care about the students education, only about the money they can make while they are in it.

The few who will excel in life will do so with or without uni.

 

[rubberduck]

I got two D grades and a C... Probably equivalent to an A and two Bs in today's money.

 

[Jumper118]

Why don't they just give them all an a*+++ anything else is decriminalisation.

 

[Diddums]

I got two D grades and a C... Probably equivalent to an A and two Bs in today's money.

Tests written in crayon don't count.

 

[dowie]

3x the cost of tuition, ravaged funding, less and less people going?

Quite obvious they want to reduce as many hurdles as possible. The standard of education certainly hasn't been getting higher.

I think it is the opposite actually, some of the top universities are increasing the number places and so other Russell group universities are competing over what's left. They have then been trying to tempt top candidates with unconditional offers, there are only so many A*/A grade candidates out there and if say London colleges, Warwick etc.. are hoovering more of them up then there are fewer left for the red brick unis further down the pecking order.

 

[dowie]

Tests written in crayon don't count.

LOL

made me think of this: