Opinion: Vox Pop - Should all A-Level subjects be given equalvalue?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Some universities, including Cambridge, have a list of "non-preferred" A-Level subjects such as dance, but ministers say all A-Levels should have the same weighting since all subjects maintain high standards.
YES - JOHN BANGS, HEAD OF EDUCATION, NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHER.
A-Levels should be given equal value. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority recently commissioned an independent inquiry on standards and found that there had been no slippage. The divide erected by some to distinguish between traditional and so-called "soft" A-Levels is more a resistance to new ideas and a fear of the future than to do with a fall in educational standards. Our pupils and our teachers work extremely hard to achieve good results. Yet each year they are told their achievements are not worth the paper they are written on if they happen to be in anything other than traditional subjects.
NO - DR MARTIN CONBOY, READER IN JOURNALISM STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
Most media courses would be, at best, happy to recruit students with at least two solid A-Levels, such as English and history and then media. But they would be anxious about recruiting someone with art and design, dance and media. Despite the protestations of exam boards saying these subjects have equal weighting, they are different. With history and a modern language you have to learn a lot of basic skills before you progress. It's perfectly possible to take a media subject at 16- to 18-years-old and come out with a good grade, but more difficult with French.
NO - NICK GIBB, SHADOW MINISTER FOR SCHOOLS
It's not possible for politicians to put a made-up value on any qualification. The value of A-Levels or any other qualification is determined by how much weight universities and employers attach to it, which is why it is so important they are involved in maintaining standards in the school system. There is nothing wrong with taking a so-called "softer subject" but it is important that young people are given the right careers advice so they know if certain universities won't accept certain subjects. My fear is that ministers are happy to see pupils pushed into softer subjects so it improves the government's results.
YES - JIM KNIGHT, SCHOOLS MINISTER, DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES
We don't recognise the labels "soft" or "hard" A-Levels - all subjects are rigorously measured against each other to maintain standards. More young people are staying on at school and gaining A-Levels who would never have done so in the past - that's something to celebrate. Take-up in science and maths A-Levels is steadily increasing but schools are also offering a much broader range of courses. Our secondary school reforms will provide higher quality students for higher education institutions - the new A* grade and introduction of more open-ended questions will challenge the brightest candidates.
