ISC reveals findings of new survey on A* qualification
7 March 2010
ISC reveals findings of new survey on A* qualification
The Independent Schools Council (ISC) has today launched brand new research on the A* qualification. The research looked at how ISC pupils would have performed had the qualification been awarded in 2009, and found that 29.8% of A grades would have been an A*. Further, had the qualification been awarded, 36.5% of all A*s would have gone to pupils at ISC schools. An estimated 16.5% of all ISC A-level entries would have been awarded an A*.
The research also found that the percentage of ISC pupils that would have achieved an A* grade varies significantly across subjects. For example, 51.6% of A grades in Russian and 50.1% of A grades in Further Maths would have been awarded an A*, compared to only 13.3% in Media Studies and 8.9% in Computing/ICT. The research cannot explain why some subjects have a higher conversion rate from A to A* than others, however the inconsistency is notable.
In addition, the proportion of A grades that would have been awarded an A* varies considerably by awarding body.
Finally, the research found variation between 2007, 2008 and 2009, indicating that the percentage of A grades that would have been an A* in specific subjects does not appear to have remained stable between these years. The overall rate, for example, varied from a high of 29.8% in 2009 to a low of 27.4% in 2008, a difference of 2.4 percentage points.
Commenting today, ISC Chief Executive, David Lyscom, said:
“The awarding of the A* this summer raises two issues. First, the expected performance of pupils in the independent sector is likely to underline the academic benefits of an independent education. Second, with some universities already making offers including the A* grade, the apparent inconsistency suggested by this research could see very good candidates losing out on university places unfairly. Both issues beg interesting questions.”
ISC Head of Research, Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, added:
“The A* is designed to help distinguish the cream of the crop and should underline the high academic quality of independent schools, but if we can’t have complete confidence that an A* in one subject is worth the same as an A* in another, then the utility of the grade will be diminished. A careful eye will have to be cast over results this summer to see what the pattern of actual A* grades awarded looks like, only then will we be able to tell whether the new grade will be a fair way of identifying the very best.”
Notes to editors:
The A* survey
The research was conducted by ISC’s Head of Research, Rudolf Eliott Lockhart.
ISC Mission Statement
The Independent Schools Council (ISC): working with its members to promote and preserve the quality, diversity and excellence of UK independent education both at home and abroad.
Additional information
ISC represents the eight leading independent schools associations in the UK, collectively educating more than 500,000 children in 1,260 schools in the UK and select British schools overseas. In total, there are around 2,600 independent schools in the UK.
Press queries
Alexandra Beynon
Telephone: (office) 020 7766 7060 (mobile) 07825 806017
Fax: 020 7766 7071
email: alex.beynon@isc.co.uk
www.isc.co.uk