Question: As we approach the August results fortnight, it’s often said that an A grade at A-level is easy to obtain and some would argue they are handed out like sweets. Would you agree?
Dr Mike Cresswell:Not at all. A levels are not easy. Only 6 per cent of A-level candidates achieve an A grade in three or more A-level subjects, and that 6 per cent represents less than 3 per cent of the entirety of 18-year-olds in the country.
The evidence speaks for itself; A-levels are not easy for the client group.
Question: Why is the government introducing an A* if it is not because too many candidates are achieving the A grade?
Dr Mike Cresswell:There are more candidates achieving the A grade, but not too many. The standard for grade A is a constant.
The number of students getting it has risen, but that reflects improvements in teaching, improvements in learning and, in my opinion, a more focused and hardworking generation of 18-year-olds.
Students are performing better and the consequence of that is a very small number of universities and faculties who recruit from the very top echelon of students are having difficulty distinguishing on A-levels alone.
The introduction of the A* is a solution to that problem of success. Some universities now need to find the very best from amongst those who get the A grade, even though the A grade standard has remained the same.
Question: Some Universities say too many candidates are achieving an A grade so they are now looking at introducing their own entry exams. Is this an indication that A-levels are not fit for purpose?
Dr Mike Cresswell:A levels are fit for purpose, but I do think entrance exams are one response to the issue of more candidates getting an A grade.
This year, the awarding bodies have been doing work with Ucas to provide results on individual units of a course as well as the subject as a whole, giving universities another source of information to make distinctions prior to the introduction of A* in 2010.
Question: As the largest unitary awarding body, I understand AQA has just had a record number of new A-level specifications accredited by your regulator the QCA. Can you tell me a bit more about this please?
Dr Mike Cresswell:53 new courses available through AQA, far more than any other awarding bodies have had accredited, and they will be beginning in September 2008.
The revision of the A-level has allowed us the opportunity to consult a wide range of colleges, schools and teachers that use AQA or other awarding bodies, to create courses that are attractive, interesting and easy to learn.
We have got some particularly interesting developments such as A-levels in critical thinking, science in society and citizenship.
These are all part of our commitment to make A-levels a system to produce citizens who understand their role in society, engage in an informed way with public debate and play a full part as productive people in this country.
Question: I understand AQA is also introducing a 'home grown' version of the International Baccalaureate. Can you tell me a bit more about this please?
Dr Mike Cresswell:This is our response to the fact that there is a great deal of activity that goes on between the ages of 16 and 18 in schools that doesn’t have any proper accreditation attached to it.
There is also a feeling that a single qualification that covers a broad range of activity is something that would be useful. The new AQA bacc is being piloted by Farnborough Sixth Form College, with some of their students receiving the award this summer.
An AQA bacc brings together the A-level studies a student is taking with subjects such as general studies, critical thinking and citizenship.
Furthermore, an AQA bacc gives a student the opportunity to do a project involving significant self motivated in-depth study based on a particular area.
Finally, to get an AQA bacc you have to engage in personal development such as community work, work-related learning or other things of the sort done under the general heading of enrichment in schools and colleges.
The scheme has created a great deal of interest from other schools, with many more piloting the scheme next year. We hope to make AQA bacc nationally available from September 2008.
Question: There have been calls for there to be a single awarding body. Would this not be better for the education system?
Dr Mike Cresswell:No it wouldn’t. The current qualification system provides real choice to schools and colleges to decide the courses they’re going to offer and the quality of services they’re going to get.
It also drives us to be more innovative, so when we create specifications, they’re ones that really do meet the needs of students, schools and colleges.
Choice works in the qualifications world in just as benign and positive a way as it does in many other walks in life. It’s something we would lose at our peril.
Question: Is it true that it is easier to get an A grade in media studies than in maths or science, hence students opting for media studies?
Dr Mike Cresswell:There are no easy subjects in a general sense. There are certainly subjects that each individual finds easier than others, but they are not universal.
People choose subjects that they find interesting, want to study for two years and therefore be successful in.
You do well in a subject because you choose it for that very reason. Subjects like maths, which are deemed the hardest, have the highest pass rates, so obviously some people are good at them.
Question: Awarding bodies have been criticised for introducing multiple-choice questions. You can gain a GCSE in science and other subjects without even writing a sentence. Does this not add to failure in the system where students are leaving school without basic skills?
Dr Mike Cresswell:It’s not possible to gain a GCSE in science without being able to write sentences.
It’s absolutely true there are some multiple-choice sections in some GCSE science exams, but there are also additional components where candidates have to write in a coherent manner.
The reason for using multiple-choice exams is to assess students over a broad range to ensure they have knowledge and understanding across all of the work they have studied.
Multiple-choice questions are an important part of the exam, but they remain only a part of it.
Question: GCSEs are no longer seen as relevant with almost 98 per cent of candidates now passing. Due to this increased pass rate, do you think standards have been lowered?
Dr Mike Cresswell:No. The grade C pass rate, which most employers are interested in, is only 62.4 per cent.
There’s no reason to think 16-year-olds find GCSEs easy. Standards are the same as they have always been.
Levels of performance have risen, but that’s because teaching and learning have been more effective due to the enormous amount of resources and effort put into improving education.
Improving GCSE pass rates are simply evidence of that. Over the last 10 years, the increase in GCSE grade Cs amounts to about two extra students per school per subject getting a grade C at GCSE.
If our schools weren’t able to produce that kind of improvement over a 10-year period, we would be asking serious questions of our entire education system.
GCSE standards are the same and the qualifications remain very useful.
Question: AQA has also been one of the first awarding bodies to receive accreditation for new diplomas for first teaching from September 2008. Why would a potential student want to gain a diploma when they might be seen as second rate to A-levels and not geared to brighter students?
Dr Mike Cresswell:Diplomas offer an opportunity to learn in the context of a particular vocational area and provide an alternative way of delivering a general education.
The expectation is that with time they will be a route to universities just like A-levels. In establishing diplomas, we’ve worked with City & Guilds, bringing together a really powerful combination of experience in general qualifications and vocational skills.
This partnership has created four excellent courses that provide motivation to students who want an alternative to A-level, allowing them to learn and progress after finishing school at 18.
We think diplomas have every chance of becoming an established and successful part of the qualifications landscape, offering an additional choice for young people of all abilities.