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Return of end-of-course exams in major A-level overhaul
Traditional end-of-course exams will be reintroduced to A-levels under major plans to toughen up the qualification, the Telegraph has learnt.

Subject specialists from top universities will carry out annual reviews of exams to make sure course content is being properly assessed, it was revealed.

The move -- to be announced on Wednesday by Michael Gove, the Education Secretary -- is being billed as an attempt to restore academic rigour to qualifications sat by around 300,000 schoolchildren each year.

It comes amid claims that current A-levels fail to prepare students for the demands of higher education, with many universities complaining that school-leavers lack subject knowledge and basic skills.

In a letter to the head of Ofqual, Mr Gove said there was "clear dissatisfaction among leading university academics about the preparation of A-level pupils for advanced studies".

"I am concerned that some natural science degrees have become four-year courses to compensate for problems with A-levels," he said.

"Linguists complain about the inadequacy of university entrants' foreign language skills. Mathematicians are concerned that current A-level questions are overly structured and encourage a formulaic approach, instead of using more open-ended questions that require advanced problem-solving... There is also growing concern that private schools routinely teach beyond A-levels, giving their pupils an advantage in the competition for university places."
Seriously, they're complaining that some teachers and students work beyond the minimum? No wonder they have problems.
The Russell Group, which represents universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and Durham, would form a new academic board to advise Ofqual on the content of A-levels.

It will focus principally on subjects commonly required for entry to its universities.

The move comes after it emerged that school-by-school league tables -- being published on Thursday -- will reveal how many teenagers gained good A-level passes in a string of rigorous subjects such as maths, English, the sciences, history, geography and languages. For the first time, it is intended to show many pupils leave schools "Russell Group ready".


Posted by: lotp 2013-01-23
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=360708