Major universities warn ‘soft’ A-level students

January 9th, 2008

Press article from The Daily Telegraph 7 January 2008

Major universities warn ‘soft’ A-level students

Institutions including Cambridge and the London School of Economics have drawn up lists of subjects they say are not academically rigorous enough.

They give warning that candidates taking more than one A-level in areas such as media studies, dance, sports studies and travel and tourism are unlikely to be given a place.

Admissions tutors insist that the courses – which have undergone a huge expansion in state schools in recent years – often fail to prepare sixth-formers for the academic demands of university.

The disclosure will alarm ministers, who want to increase the number of students from state school going to the top universities.

It may also undermine the Government’s drive to promote new–style diplomas in subjects such as hair and beauty, media or hospitality, which are being introduced as an alternative to GCSE’s and A-levels.

THE B LIST FOR UNDERGRADUATES
Taking more than one of the following A-levels will limit students’ chances of getting to Cambridge
Accounting	Information & Communication Technology
Art & Design	Leisure Studies
Business Studies	Media Studies
Communication Studies	Music Technology
Dance	Performance Studies
Design & Technology	Performing Arts
Drama & Theatre Studies	Photography
Film Studies	Physical Education
Health & Social Care	Sports Studies
Home Economics	Travel & Tourism

It is feared that concerns over so-called ‘soft’ A-levels may be extended to the Government’s flagship diplomas.

One admissions tutor at a top university said yesterday: “These are vocational qualifications, and whilst good vocational qualifications are a badly needed part of the nation’s qualification mix at 14 to 19, they do not qualify people to pursue purely academic programmes at academically selective universities.”

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