A-level reforms based on 'flawed' data will deny university

One in five teenagers could miss out on a place at a top university as a result of ministers relying on “flawed” data for their exam reforms, according to researchers.

The decision to stop AS levels counting towards full A-level passes means universities can no longer use the results in assessing candidates for places on their courses.

But an analysis of the evidence for the reforms shows that as many as 18.5 per cent of 88,000 students, whose results were surveyed by the Department for Education, could now miss out on the offer of a university place – especially if they wanted to go to one of the UK’s most selective universities.

The schools minister, David Laws, commissioned the research to see if GCSE results were as reliable as AS-levels – the only evidence of sixth-form performance – in predicting a student’s likely degree.

- Read More