Fit for Purpose? The view of the higher education sector ...

[Pages:164]Fit for Purpose? The view of the higher education sector, teachers and employers on the suitability

of A levels

By

John Higton, James Noble, Sarah Pope, Naomi Boal, Steven Ginnis, Rory Donaldson and Helen

Greevy of the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute

Ofqual/12/5145

April 2012

This report has been commissioned by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.

Table of Contents

Executive summary ....................................................................... 2

Aims and method ....................................................................................... 2 Overview of main findings .......................................................................... 3 Preparing students for higher level education and the workplace .............. 3 Concerns about the qualification ................................................................ 7 Ofqual's role and the design of A levels ................................................... 11

1. Background and Methodology................................................ 15

Background to the research ..................................................................... 15 Aims and objectives ................................................................................. 16 Methodology ? secondary research ......................................................... 17 Methodology ? primary research.............................................................. 18 Sampling .................................................................................................. 19 Analysing and interpreting the findings .................................................... 22

2. The A level qualification .......................................................... 25

Introduction .............................................................................................. 25 Purpose and suitability ............................................................................. 30

3. A levels as a selection tool...................................................... 34

Introduction .............................................................................................. 34 Strengths of A levels for higher education selection................................. 34 Improving A levels for higher education selection .................................... 38 Effects of using A levels in higher education admissions ......................... 47 Summary.................................................................................................. 52

4. A levels and subject knowledge ............................................. 55

Introduction .............................................................................................. 55 Views on the subject knowledge content of A-levels ................................ 55 Changes in the content to undergraduate courses................................... 63 Students' relationship to the knowledge they acquire at A level ............... 65

Case study: Engineering .......................................................................... 67 Summary.................................................................................................. 68

5. A levels and developing students' skills ................................ 71

Introduction .............................................................................................. 71 Strengths of A levels in providing skills for higher education.................... 72 Weaknesses of A levels in providing skills for higher education .............. 73 Case study: Mathematical skills ............................................................... 80 Summary.................................................................................................. 81

6. Orienting students for higher education and work................ 83

Introduction .............................................................................................. 84 The use of A levels for recruitment by employers .................................... 85 The use of A levels for higher education selection and recruitment ......... 89 Implications for schools ............................................................................ 93 Summary.................................................................................................. 93

7. The challenges of delivering A levels ..................................... 96

The broader context ................................................................................. 96 Resits ..................................................................................................... 105 Content, modules and synoptic learning ................................................ 106 A levels as part of a student's wider education ...................................... 108 The time taken to teach A levels ............................................................ 109 Specialism versus breadth of content .................................................... 110 Communicating A level specifications .................................................... 112 Assessing A levels ................................................................................. 113 Summary................................................................................................ 118

8. Ofqual's regulation of A levels .............................................. 120

Purposes of regulation ........................................................................... 121 Views of current regulatory system ........................................................ 124 Ideas for future regulation ...................................................................... 129 Summary................................................................................................ 132

9. The design of A levels ........................................................... 135

Who should be involved in the process? ................................................ 136 The connection between higher education, employers and schools ...... 143 Addressing the perceived skills gap through the design of A levels ....... 144 Summary................................................................................................ 146

Overall conclusions ................................................................... 148 References.................................................................................. 153 Appendix 1.................................................................................. 158

Sample structure of interviewees ........................................................... 158

Executive summary

1

? 2012 Ipsos MORI.

Executive summary

Aims and method

Ipsos MORI were commissioned by the regulators Ofqual, the Welsh Government and CCEA to undertake a large scale qualitative project whose central aims were to explore:

the extent to which A levels currently prepare students for higher levels of study or, in the case of employers, the workplace; and

the level and nature of (any) concerns about the current A level qualification.

Four methods were used to meet these aims. Firstly, a literature review was conducted with the principle aim of informing the design of materials for primary research. References from that literature review are used as additional evidence throughout this report.

Three specific strands of qualitative research were then undertaken with a variety of audiences:

A total of 71 face-to-face interviews were completed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with representatives of the higher education (HE) sector. These were primarily staff working in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). As well as sampling individuals by their subject specialisation and their average required entry tariff, a spread of HEIs with different sector interests were also included such as the Russell Group, the Million+ Group and the 1994 Group.1 In addition, the views of Learned Bodies, HE Sector Bodies and Awarding Organisations were also collected.

1 HEIs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were ranked by average UCAS tariff points of students under 21 years of age on entry. This list was then divided into three equal parts for the purposes of sampling. These are referred to in the report as high, middle and low tier universities. High tier = 360 UCAS tariff points or more; Middle-tier = 273 to 359 points; Low-tier = 272 points or less. The data on UCAS Entry tariffs were derived from The Complete University Guide:

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This work was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the international quality standard for Market Research, ISO 20252:2006.

 10 discussion groups were held with A level teachers working in a variety of different schools and sixth form colleges. As with the HEI interviews, subject specialism and the typical grade achieved at A level by students in those centres was used to split the sample as were other criteria such as the offer of A level alternatives such as the International Baccalaureate and Cambridge Pre-U.

Finally, 25 telephone interviews were completed with employers and representative employer bodies in the United Kingdom. The main criteria for selection were whether the employer directly recruited A level students or used A levels as part of their selection criteria. Employers from a range of sectors and who employed different numbers of people were included.

Overview of main findings

Overall, A levels were viewed positively by all the research audiences. Generally, those associated with higher education and teachers agreed that the A level qualification prepares most students for higher education undergraduate degrees. Employers said they select A level school leavers because they have met the right level of academic achievement. However, there were a number of areas which those taking part in the research thought could be reviewed to lead to an improved outcome for both the A level student and for the organisation receiving the qualified student. These suggestions for improvement are outlined below and are collated by each of the two main aims identified above. The final part of the summary describes the views of those taking part in the research on the regulation and design of A levels.

The findings should be considered in the context of the overall satisfaction that most interviewees expressed in the qualification. The authors also note that there were no differences found by country in the findings, so the views of interviewees based in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are as those expressed below.

Preparing students for higher level education and the workplace

The issues with the A level qualification highlighted above had several consequences relating to the preparedness of students for higher education and the workplace.

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This work was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the international quality standard for Market Research, ISO 20252:2006.

A levels and subject knowledge

Views varied among those interviewed as to whether A level students enter higher education with an adequate level of subject knowledge. However, most higher education sector interviewees were generally content with the knowledge content of A levels across subjects. It was notable that nothing more than readjustments and/or additions were suggested.

As a whole, the current A level system is perceived to encourage students to develop more in-depth knowledge of a small number of subjects which enables universities to design suitable entry requirements for their courses. Those who teach undergraduate courses which require specific A levels for entry onto the course tended to have a clear sense of the strengths and weaknesses in students' knowledge. The main examples of this are STEM subjects and post-A level language courses where continuity of subject-specific knowledge is a pre-requisite of undertaking a degree.

The topics taught within a subject at A level did not always coincide with the knowledge requirements of higher education. For example, Engineering first year undergraduates with A level mathematics qualifications did not always study Mechanics at A level. This led to a greater variety of knowledge among first year students and also gaps in their knowledge.

When compared with alternative level three qualifications higher education sector interviewees felt A levels remained the `gold standard' for their subjects, although the Cambridge Pre-U was believed to be a more demanding qualification by those who were familiar with it such as one group of STEM school teachers. The International Baccalaureate (IB) was perceived by some STEM specialists to provide less subject content, although several thought the IB made up for this by developing well-rounded students.

Skills deficits of those completing A levels

In common with the findings of Kotecha (2010) and Patrick (2005), issues about some of the general skills essential for undergraduate learning arose in interviews with higher education sector participants. These included both specific academic

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This work was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the international quality standard for Market Research, ISO 20252:2006.

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