No one receiving their A-level results this morning can fail to be aware that the first of the coalition government’s more rigorous exams were sat this summer. Whatever their individual results, students – and parents – should be pleased with a new system which is more reliable and a better preparation for university. They should make sure to ignore the scaremongering from those opposed to the whole education reform project of recent years.
That’s not to say that students and parents are all delighted with their experience of these reformed qualifications. There have been frequent complaints of insufficient support from exam boards, a lack of sample assessment materials and inconsistencies in the content of questions.
I do not doubt that the teenagers getting their results today have experienced a lot of pressure in the past few weeks. I taught for a decade, so I’ve seen the work students put in, and I know how traumatic a poor result can feel – especially if it means not getting into a much longed-for university.
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