Not High Enough For Elite UK Universities

Britain ’s higher education minister David Lammy has warned elite universities that they risk undermining public confidence in their admissions systems by demanding pupils score the new A* grade in their A-level results from next year, The Guardian reports. Lammy said universities planning to use the A* grades to select students risk unfairly rejecting candidates whose schools fail to accurately predict their ability to get an A*. The new grade will be awarded to students who get top scores in their A-levels. It was introduced in response to universities ’ concerns that they can no longer distinguish between straight A students. Last year more than a quarter of all students were awarded an A grade. Applications to most universities depend on schools ’ predictions of students ’ grades. There are also concerns that the A* will cement independent schools ’ dominance of places at the top institutions. Last month Cambridge, Imperial College London and University College London confirmed they would use the A* in their admissions processes. However, other top universities including Oxford, London School of Economics and Durham have ruled out the use of A~ until it has been properly reviewed.