Russell Group response to 2008 A-level results

14 August 2008

Commenting on the release of A-level results, which show that the number of students receiving A grades has increased once again this year, Dr Wendy Piatt, Director General of The Russell Group of Universities, said:

“Pupils have no doubt worked hard to get these grades, and will rightly be congratulated for all their achievements. As more students attain top marks it becomes increasingly challenging for universities to choose between highly-qualified applicants but our admissions tutors are skilled at reviewing a wide range of factors in making the best possible selections. Moreover, the reforms to A-levels being introduced will help us identify the outstanding candidates. These reforms include the introduction of the extended project, the A star and the release of a more detailed breakdown of the A-level results for individual units. Although A-level qualifications (or their equivalent) are a key source of information about academic ability, Russell Group universities take a range of factors and information into account when assessing applicants to ensure we can identify the candidates with the most potential to flourish on our courses - whatever their social or educational background.

“While we are very pleased about the increase in the number of students taking A levels in science and particularly maths, The Russell Group remains concerned by the dramatic long-term fall in many of these subjects. Numeracy is essential for many undergraduate courses at our universities, particularly in engineering, economics and medicine.

"Subject choice at school can be crucial to maximising a young person's life chances. So students must be given quality information, advice and guidance when they are selecting a combination of subjects at A-level that will equip them for their chosen university course. For example, students who take maths A-level are not only equipped to take a range of courses at university, they also earn, on average, up to 11% more than their peers who do not take maths beyond the age of 16. Similarly, going to a Russell Group university gives a salary ‘top-up’ of around 10% above other universities."
/ends.

Notes:

1. A-level results have risen year-on-year for the past 26 years. The percentage of A-levels awarded this year rose by 0.3% to 97.2% while the percentage of candidates achieving A grades rose by 0.6% to 25.9%.

2. Some of the biggest increases in A grades were in science subjects – notably Chemistry (1.3% to 33.7% total), Physics (1% to 31.8 total) – and some modern foreign languages including German (1.2% to 38.4), Spanish (0.7% to 38.7) and French (1% to 37.3). In addition, there were also slight increases in those receiving A grades in both maths (0.3% to 44%) and further maths (0.7% to 57.5%).

3. From 1997-2006 A Level entries fell 18% in maths, 11% in physics and 6% in chemistry despite total entries increasing by 12%. From 1988-2004 maths entries fell 40%. Following curriculum changes from last year, numbers of candidates taking these subjects have begun to increase. This year, the take-up of maths rose by 7.5% while sciences subjects saw increases in chemistry (3.5%), biology (2.7%) and physics (2.3%).

4. Studies by Anna Vignoles and Peter Dolton have found that "individuals who have mathematics A Level earn between 7% and 11% more than otherwise similar individuals who do not take mathematics beyond the age of 16”:

Controlling for A-level scores, parental characteristics, school type and factors affecting wage, research undertaken by the Centre for Economics of Education has identified an average wage premium of nearly 10% (9.4%) for a graduate from a Russell Group university compared to a graduate from a modern university. This demonstrates the measurable added value in attending a Russell Group university. “Does it pay to attend a prestigious university?” Arnaud Chevalier and Gavan Conlon, March 2003, Centre for the Economics of Education, LSE (table 5 for the 1995 cohort, page 29)