Getting into Varsity: Comparability, Convergence and Congruence ...

insofar as delaying the admissions process in the United Kingdom would put it out of step with admissions processes in other countries.

The extent to which a PQA system is realised will be decided in the next few years: a further review of the admissions system is due in 2010–2011. Already, though, the Government's published target of implementing PQA by 2012 is not looking promising, given that the only concession to it so far is the aforementioned adjustment period. Moving the application process until after the examination results in August, either alone or in combination with delaying the start of the first year of degree courses until January, would be incompatible with the needs of many overseas students. Delaying the start of the first year has also raised concerns that less affluent students would be discouraged from applying because there would be a gap of several months without funding or, quite probably, the prospect of paid employment. Given the high proportion of A-Level students who apply to higher education, it would seem quite reasonable to bring forward the A-Level examination and results timetable to accommodate the admissions process, although shortening A-Level courses would have consequences for learning and assessment. Given the competing needs, a compromise whereby Advanced Levels are taken earlier, admissions occur later and first-year undergraduates begin university later, may be the best option.

As part of the widening participation agenda, some individual institutions and departments, through their admissions policies, are beginning to evaluate applicants’ academic achievements in light of the educational context in which they occurred. If selection is treated as a measurement issue, then it is perfectly legitimate to contextualise the performance. St George's Hospital Medical School operates an Adjusted Criteria policy, through which it offers places in the medical education programme to applicants with lower A-Level grades (down to ‘BBC’) than the standard offer of ‘AAB’ or above, provided they are at least 60% better than their school average. The scheme is open to students from schools the A-Level average of which is ‘CDD’ or below. St George's has reported that students from poorly performing schools who are accepted into medical school with lower grades do just as well as their peers with higher grades.