Industry News
Students 'should sit entrance tests for university'
Posted on 5th June 2007
Additional entrance exams similar to those used in the US should be sat by sixth-formers applying for university to help pick out intelligent students, according to a new report.
The study, which was performed by the National Foundation for Educational Research and co-founded by the Sutton Trust, showed how SAT tests could be used to assess skills like verbal reasoning and maths skills.
This could be of use to universities because of the increasing number of students achieving a straight set of As - something that does not necessarily reflect student prospects, the study showed.
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, commented: "A major problem with A-levels is the growing numbers of students who now get the highest grades."
He added: "The first preliminary results are encouraging in that they suggest that the SAT might be useful in distinguishing between those who achieved three or more grades at A-level."
As entrants at Oxford and Cambridge universities routinely achieve straight As at A-level, these universities already set additional entry exams.