Universities to consider entrance exams as pupils are predicted record levels of A and A* grades

It has been reported that there are early signs of A Level grade inflation which is prompting some universities to consider introducing entrance exams to contend with the ‘tsunami’ of top grades. Last year there was a 100% pass rate of A Levels which makes university places more competitive than ever. The entrance exams aim to further assess students’ abilities, past A Levels, as more pupils are predicted to achieve top grades. This comes as ministers are forced to pay for more medical and dentistry places as an unexpectedly high number of students qualified.

With just a few days left until results day, students across the country have done all they can to secure their grades and are now preparing themselves for whatever lies ahead. Many pupils may well be feeling stress and anxiety as they contend with the uncertainty around their final marks. To further dissect this issue, leading EdTech platform, MyTutor, has commissioned nationally representative research to find out how parents and children have felt the pandemic has impacted their academic careers.

The data has found that over a quarter of parents feel that since the pandemic they have noticed a visible decline in their child’s academic progression and they’re now scoring lower. In fact, 26% have gone as far to agree that their child feels their long-term university and career prospects have been damaged because of the pandemic. Perhaps in part due to this, 62% of parents report they now recommend other paths, other than university, to their child. The data also touched upon the emotional side of academic progression and found that 43% of parents feel that their child’s self-esteem is linked to the grades they achieved at school and university. Therefore, it may come as no surprise that sadly 42% also agree their child has the highest levels of stress they’ve ever observed.

No matter the results students receive on Tuesday, MyTutor finds it important to stress that there are a multitude of career paths to take which do not necessarily start with university. Internships and apprenticeships offer young people the ability to learn skills that will make them highly employable, and do not require straight A’s to complete.

Key Stats:

26% of parents agree that since COVID-19, there is a visible decline in their child’s educational progression and they’re now scoring lower
42% agree that their child has the highest levels of stress they have observed in his/her lifetime
26% agree that their child feels that their long-term university and career prospects have been damaged by COVID-19
62% agree that university is not the only path they are recommending to their child after their school career, as it is not essential for them to get a good job
43% agree their child’s self-esteem is linked to the grades they achieved at school and university
Bertie Hubbard, CEO of MyTutor comments on the difficulties faced by school children during the pandemic:

“The last 16 months have been unbelievably tough year on teens and parents alike with months out of school, exam cancellations, not seeing friends and worrying about Covid-19. With schools open again, catching up on lost learning and prepping for exams this term has undoubtedly brought another set of challenges for teens.

“They’re in more need than ever for some support and reassurance with their studies, and that’s exactly what our tutors offer. Our tutors are all from UK universities, and because they’re just a few years older they can easily relate to what teens are going through. With their dedicated one-to-one support, teens get some much-needed reassurance and come out with a stronger self-belief – 88% say that lessons made them feel more confident.”