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

Consequently, it has recently been recommended to Parliament that an inspectorate be introduced to approve degrees, check curricula and verify standards. By introducing Functional Skills qualifications in English, Mathematics and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) from 2010, the Government is also attempting to address employer organisations’ concerns that an unacceptable proportion of the workforce is not functionally literate or numerate despite holding passing grades in GCSE English and Maths.

Whether there is a standards issue regarding A-Levels or simply a need for greater continuity between ‘14-19’ (high school) curricula and higher education curricula, there is clearly a requirement for greater communication and cooperation between the two sectors. The recently revised A-Levels incorporate ‘stretch and challenge’ inclusions to encourage the brightest students to develop broader skills and knowledge than those currently required. This is to be achieved through the use of more complex stimulus materials, more open-answer questions, more extended writing (where appropriate) and greater synoptic assessment. These redeveloped A-Levels will be awarded for the first time in 2010.

In response to concerns about the high proportion of A grades that are awarded, the higher grade A* (‘A-star’) has been introduced to reward candidates obtaining grade A overall (80% of the UMS for the whole A-Level qualification) as well as 90% of the UMS on the aggregate of the A2 (final-year) unit scores. This will allow admissions tutors for the most popular courses to make more challenging offers and therefore make more offers overall. Presently, a strong applicant is unlikely to be challenged by an offer requiring three A grades, and so his or her chance of gaining a place at, say, Oxford or Cambridge depends largely on the institution's willingness to make an offer rather than his or her ability to meet the conditions of that offer. If the institution makes an offer demanding three A* grades, this may give it the confidence to make more offers on the grounds that applicants will be more challenged by the offer and, consequently, some of them will fail to meet it. Of course, exactly the same could have been done—only with greater precision—by making offers based on UMS scores. There is also a danger that the widening