News

Universities will be given new powers to set A-levels under Government plans designed to get teenagers fully prepared for the demands of higher education.

Examiners will be expected to enlist the help of at least 20 British universities when drafting exam syllabuses and test questions as part of a major drive to raise standards. All new qualifications will require a formal “sign-off” from universities – particularly leading research institutions – before being sat by sixth-formers.

The reforms, to be outlined by Ofqual, the qualifications regulator, are intended to ensure teenagers have the appropriate levels of subject knowledge and study skills required to get the most out of a degree course.
It is also hoped that the move will dramatically cut down on the number of remedial catch-up lessons staged by universities for first-year undergraduates.

This follows the publication of major study earlier this year that found many freshers struggled to structure an essay, use correct spelling, punctuation and grammar and carry out independent research after being “spoon-fed” through school.
Leading universities have welcomed the reforms, will are likely to be introduced by 2014.