Responding to the announcement that this year’s A-levels, including Vocational Technical Qualifications, will be based on teacher assessments, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said:
“Today’s announcement offers welcome clarity on the summer admissions process for universities, learners and schools. Alliance universities will continue to be flexible and responsive to support learners to progress to further study and succeed once at university. We are pleased that exam results will not be ‘decoupled’ from the usual university admissions cycle, enabling universities to best support students through the confirmation and clearing process. This is particularly important this year when the students who face the biggest barriers accessing higher education are also the most likely to have been personally and financially impacted by the pandemic.
“It is critical that vocational qualifications are released at the same time as A-levels. Many applicants to Alliance universities are studying a mixed portfolio of qualifications, e.g., A-levels and BTECs. Any delay in the publication of results will create inequality and any delay in confirmation will heap more stress and anxiety on applicants.”
