The Guardian view on A-level and T-level results: a boost to the nation’s confidence | Editorial
Young people should be proud of their achievements. Ministers should focus on what comes nextA strong set of A-level results should raise confidence in Britain’s future. These are difficult exams,...
By Editorial · The Guardian Opinion
Young people should be proud of their achievements. Ministers should focus on what comes next A strong set of A-level results should raise confidence in Britain’s future. These are difficult exams , and schools and colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are rightly proud of their achievements. Top grades are up, especially in maths, which remains the most popular subject. A total of 262,820 18-year-olds have gained a place at university or college – 3% more than last year. But the headline success masks some troubling trends. The humanities made up only a quarter of entries, while subject choices are becoming more specialised. Huge gender gaps are also striking: girls made up 79% of English A-level entries but just 19% in computing. In T-levels there has been an improvement, although their newness makes this year’s results harder to assess or compare. But the dropout rate remains higher than in the qualifications that T-levels are supposed to replace, while take-up remains low. Five years in, such ongoing issues cannot be dismissed as teething troubles. Continue reading...