A Level results day: Eight in ten university course still have spaces

Eight in ten university courses still have spaces available ahead of A Level results today, as the number of teenagers who value going to university has plummeted in recent years. 

Despite students turning their back on higher education, one in four students are expected to secure top grades as pupils anxiously wait to see whether their grades have got them into their university of choice.  

Students looking to go to university through clearing face a ‘buyers’ market’ due to an oversupply of university places, as a Daily Mail audit found more than 27,000 courses have vacancies.

Despite more places being up for grabs, the number of students who believe it is important to go to university has slumped a staggering 13 per cent in just five years.

Sixth-formers looking to still secure a place at university through clearing are likely to face a wealth of choices as higher education institutions are under pressure to fill quotas. Pictured: A-level students in 2017 look at their results

Only 75 per cent of 16-year-olds surveyed in a poll thought it was important to go to university, down from 78 per cent last year and a high of 86 per cent in 2013.

The figures, from the Sutton Trust, come as almost half the population go to university after the cap on numbers was lifted.

And those sixth-formers looking to secure a university place through clearing face a plethora of choices as higher education institutions are under pressure to fill quotas.

Of the 27,000 course places still to be filled, around 4,000 of those are at Russell Group universities, which are considered among the best in Britain. 

It had been suggested the proportion of top results could drop slightly this year due to major changes in some modules and the hike in the number of universities offering unconditional places. 

Despite warnings of a potential drop in the number of top grades achieved, it is expected to be less than a percentage point from last year’s results, where 26.3 per cent of A-level results secured the highest mark of A or A* in 2017.

Last year the first grades were awarded in the first 13 subjects to be reformed in England and, among these subjects alone, the proportion of entries scoring at least an A grade fell by 0.7 percentage points to 24.3%.

A further 11 subjects have been reformed with the first grades awarded today. 

Amanda Brown, deputy general secretary of the National Education Union, was critical of the changes made to A-levels.

She said: ‘Changing the assessment of A-levels so they focus on high-stakes exams taken at the end of two years of study does not allow students to properly demonstrate their ability and puts them under huge pressure.

‘Coursework and other non-exam assessments are a better way for students to demonstrate their skills, are less of a memory test, and help lower attaining students and those with special educational needs and disabilities show their achievements.’  

For those looking for degree places through Clearing this summer, there are suggestions that they are likely to find it is a buyers' market. Pictured: student opens her A-level results last year

For those looking for degree places through Clearing this summer, there are suggestions that they are likely to find it is a buyers’ market. Pictured: student opens her A-level results last year

For those looking for degree places through Clearing this summer, there are suggestions that they are likely to find it is a buyers’ market.   

Three quarters of Russell Group institutions – renowned as the best universities Britain has to offer – have at least one course in clearing, with nearly 4,500 courses listed in total. 

Lindsay Neil, director of admissions at the University of Westminster, said: ‘Traditionally, prospective students apply to universities, receive offers and choose their first and second choice.

She said: ‘They then have a long wait for their results to see if they have been successful or not.

Three quarters of Russell Group institutions - renowned as the best universities Britain has to offer - have at least one course in clearing, with nearly 4,500 courses listed in total

Three quarters of Russell Group institutions – renowned as the best universities Britain has to offer – have at least one course in clearing, with nearly 4,500 courses listed in total

‘If unsuccessful students would then use Clearing as a back-up option to find universities who have courses with vacancies. Now however, the demographics are changing.

‘The number of 18-year-olds applying for university is at a low point creating a buyers’ market’.

‘The majority of universities now open at least some courses in Clearing and this gives students a big advantage.

‘They can now wait to see their results before applying to university, using Clearing as a first and faster application route.

‘Often courses will reduce their entry requirements for Clearing, making it an attractive option.

‘It is not “risk free” however, as popular courses can still be full, but Clearing is becoming a method of choice, not necessity.’

‘I bought you tissues for tomorrow… thanks mum’: A-level students joke as they face sleepless night before exam results tomorrow (but at least there are still thousands of Clearing places)

By Mark Duell for MailOnline  

More than 500,000 students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are anxiously awaiting their A-level results tomorrow.

Sixth-formers face a nail-biting night ahead of the release time of 9.30am, when they will learn if they have gained the grades they need to secure a university place.

Some pupils took to Twitter to share tongue-in-cheek memes as they spoke of their fear, while others reassured them that there are always options whatever they get. 

Students searching for a last-minute degree place on results day tomorrow are likely to find a buyers’ market with tens of thousands of courses still available.

Virtually all universities – including three quarters of the UK’s most selective institutions – are listing undergraduate courses in Clearing on the UCAS website.

Law, languages, engineering, astrophysics, maths and English are among subjects with availability, amid huge competition between universities to attract candidates.

It has also been suggested that top A-level pass rates could drop this year in part due to the rising numbers of unconditional degree offers handed out by universities.

There are warnings that the hike in these guaranteed places could mean students have ‘taken their foot off the pedal’, leading to lower overall A-level results.

In total, almost 68,000 of these offers have been made to 18-year-olds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this year, up from less than 3,000 just five years ago.

It has sparked concerns from ministers and school leaders, who say the practice undermines the university system’s credibility and puts youngsters’ futures at risk.

There have been major changes to A-levels in England, with a move away from coursework and modular exams throughout the course.

Last year the first grades were awarded in the first 13 subjects to be reformed in England. 



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