Industry News
Confidence in A-levels 'not growing'
Posted on 13th February 2008
Public confidence in the A-level system has not grown in recent years, a new survey has found.
Concerns about the academic rigour of A-levels have prompted a number of leading independent schools to start offering alternatives such as the International Baccalaureate and Pre-U.
Now a study conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has found only 25 per cent of the general public have more confidence in A-levels than they did a few years ago.
The survey also discovered concerns among teachers, with 15 per cent saying they do not have confidence in the A-level system. Teachers at independent schools were found to be less likely to have confidence in the system than their counterparts in maintained schools.
Quality of A-level marking was the main concern among teachers, with 36 per cent saying they thought the accuracy of marking had deteriorated in the past two years.
Reacting to the survey's findings, Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said she was among those worried about the standard of marking.
"Maybe the whole machine has got too big, maybe the pressure on results is now too great. It's time to rethink assessment," said Ms Bousted.