A-level results: More disadvantaged students set for university than pre-Covid

It comes as hundreds of thousands of pupils receive their A-level grades

Students celebrate A-levels

Thousands more students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have been accepted onto university courses this year compared to the last time students sat A-level exams before the pandemic.

Around 46,800 of this group got the grades needed for their first or second choice university - a rise from 3,770 in 2019, according to Ucas.

“We’re encouraged to see early indications of a continued increase in the rate of disadvantaged students gaining places,” John Blake from the Office for Students said.

It came as hundreds of thousands of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland found out their marks on A-level results day.

The overall pass rate and proportion of top marks awarded dropped compared to the year before, but is still higher than the last time students took exams.

This was expected under a crackdown on grade inflation that still took into account disruption suffered by this year’s cohort in the Covid pandemic.

Key Points

• ‘Continued increase’ in rate of disadvantaged students getting university places
• Students open results after weeks of waiting
• A-level results: Grades down on last two years but higher than pre-pandemic levels
• Second highest number of students get first or second choice at university
• Every single student collecting result today should be proud - education secretary

[18 August 2022 05:51 · Arpan Rai]

Every single student collecting result today should be proud - Education secretary

Education secretary James Cleverly thanked students awaiting their results today, lauding them for being the first batch in three years to take the A-level exams after the pandemic disrupted the global order.

“Every single student collecting their results today should be proud of their achievements. Not only have they studied throughout the pandemic, but they are the first group in three years to sit exams. For that, I want to congratulate them and say a huge thank you to those who helped them get to this point,” Mr Cleverly said in a statement.

He said that the day of results is also a really exciting time for “pioneering T Level students”.

These students are “the first ever group to take this qualification will pick up their results. I have no doubt they will be the first of many and embark on successful careers.”

Assuring students of varied options after results are announced, the education secretary said: “Despite the nerves that people will feel, I want to reassure anyone collecting their results that whatever your grades, there has never been a better range of opportunities available.”

“Whether going on to one of our world-leading universities, a high-quality apprenticeship, or the world of work, students have exciting options as they prepare to take their next steps,” Mr Cleverly said.

[18 August 2022 06:25 · Arpan Rai]

A-level results this year were ‘never going to be pain-free’ - UCAS top official

The A-level results this year were “never going to be pain-free”, the head of the universities admissions service said ahead of the crucial day for hundreds of thousands students across the country.

Clare Marchant, chief executive of Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, urged students to brace themselves for lower grades and subsequently intensified competition for seats in universities.

Ms Marchant said that the move of administration to tighten the grade inflation this year as they aimed to bring the results gradually back to a pre-pandemic level was a necessary task but it was “not easy”.

“A return to either an intermediary position or, as Ofqual said, a midpoint, was never going to be pain-free,” she said at a webinar hosted by the Higher Education Policy Institute.

However, the top education officials said that the good news was that record or near record numbers of students were had a chance to get into their first choice of university this year.

[18 August 2022 06:53 · Arpan Rai]

Private school pupils likely to ‘elbow out’ state students in scramble for university places, experts warn

There’s a strong chance that poorer pupils are more likely to miss out on top university courses, experts have warned ahead of this year’s A-level results which are set to widen the gap between private and state schools.

The proportion of A-level students given top grades reached a record high, with nearly half achieving an A or above, after exams were cancelled and marks were determined by teachers.

However, an increase in A grades was 50 per cent higher in independent schools than in secondary comprehensives, data from regulator Ofqual showed, sparking fears that this would combine with the record number of university applications to “compound” inequality in the education system.

Read the full story here:

[18 August 2022 07:11 · Arpan Rai]

Govt offers ‘Get the jump’ to students wanting a job alongside university

Students looking to work alongside their university period or sign up for apprenticeship can see the Get The Jump website, education secretary James Cleverly said today.

The education secretary said young people have a huge range of exciting options available which include “opportunities to earn while you learn via an apprenticeship, taking a higher technical qualification, attending university or landing your first job.”

Students can explore their options through our Get The Jump website or through Clearing.

“For students taking exams in the future, the department is driving forward a stream of recovery activity by investing almost £5 billion to help children and young people recover from the impact of the pandemic, including £1.5bn for a national tutoring revolution in schools and colleges,” the education secretary said.

Under the National Tutoring Programme, more than two million courses have now started.

These include 1.8 million so far this academic year across an estimated 80% of schools – helping children to catch up with learning loss, Mr Cleverly said.

[18 August 2022 07:20 · Zoe Tidman]

First set of T-level students to get grades

The first cohort of students who have taken the new technical T-level qualifications are also getting their results today.

Around 1,000 pupils are expected to get T-level results today.

Here is more on this qualification first launched in 2020:

[18 August 2022 07:26 · Zoe Tidman]

Students could get ‘slightly lower grades’ than expecting, education minister says

The education secretary has spoken about what results could bring today.

“Students might get slightly lower grades than perhaps they were hoping or expecting,” James Cleverly told Sky News.

This is because the exam regulator wanted to reign in grade inflation with marks lower than last year - but still not as low as before the pandemic.

“We will see the majority of students get into the institutions they want to,” the education minister added.

[18 August 2022 07:40 · Zoe Tidman]

‘Don’t panic’ if you miss your university offer, University of Bedfordshire official says

David Seaton, who works in admissions forthe University of Bedfordshire, has reassured students if they need to turn to clearing this year.

“We are potentially facing a situation where more students will need to use clearing as a way into university because they don’t have an upfront university offer,” he said.

“Don’t panic if you missed your UCAS offer. Every year tens of thousands of students secure places through clearing and go on to have a great experience.”

He added: “Clearing is a normal way of getting into university. More and more students elect to go down this route anyway so they can apply with their actual grades in their hand, rather than predicted grades.

[18 August 2022 08:13 · Zoe Tidman]

BREAKING: A-Level results: Second highest number of students get first or second choice at university

[18 August 2022 08:41 · Zoe Tidman]

More on Ucas data

Here are the key points from the university admissions service data just released:

• A total of 425,830 people have had places confirmed at their first- or second-choice university.
• Overall figure gaining places was down by 2 per cent from a record in 2021 - but still second-highest to date
• Number of students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds getting into their firm or insurance university stands at 46,850 - up from 3,770 in 2019

[18 August 2022 09:07 · Zoe Tidman]

More students progressing to higher education than last exam year, Ucas says

Here is what Ucas chief executive has to say:

“Congratulations to everyone who has worked incredibly hard and received their results today.

“Throughout this year, there has been much discussion about what the return to examinations would mean for progression to higher education. Today we have seen more students progress compared to the last time students sat exams.

“This year has seen a growth in the number of 18 year olds in the population, which will continue for the remainder of the decade, and creates a more competitive environment for students in the years to come.”