Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government’s proposed reforms to A-levels, if she will bring forward safeguards to prevent students making uninformed decisions about their subject choices and being limited as to the degree they can apply for at university as a result of having to make subject decisions at the beginning of Year 12.

Mr Nick Gibb

Schools have a duty to secure independent careers guidance for students in years 8 to 13 [1]. This should include supporting students to make informed choices about the subjects and qualifications that will support progression to university.

New A levels will become linear from 2015. Students will still be able to take stand-alone AS qualifications at the end of year 12. This flexibility will help those who are unsure at the start of year 12 which subjects they wish to continue to A level. We expect teachers to help students decide whether it is right to take an AS qualification.

Universities set their own admission requirements and are best placed to advise students on the A level subjects needed for particular degree courses. The Russell Group has published a guide to post-16 subject choices called ‘Informed Choices’[2]. This includes advice on the best subject combinations for a wide range of university courses. The guide also identifies the A level ‘facilitating subjects’ that are required more often than others, and which can help students to keep more options open.

The Department for Education recently announced that this year’s key stage 5 performance tables would include a measure showing the percentage of A level students attaining AAB or higher in two or more ‘facilitating subjects’, as a standard of academic rigour [3].

[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-for-young-people-in-schools

[2] www.russellgroup.ac.uk/informed-choices/

[3] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download/Statement_of_Intent_2014.pdf

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