The new and improved A-level system is set to bring ‘World class education for all’. Well, that is what the Government are projecting; whether this will become a reality is something that we’ll all have to wait and see.
Rishi Sunak has proposed that we replace A-levels with the enhanced ‘Advanced British Standard’ qualification that will incorporate five subjects instead of three. The government has stated that ‘employers increasingly value students with a wider knowledge base’ which is certainly comprehendible. However, two of these new subjects will be English and Maths so how much choice and wider knowledge are we really getting? The argument is that 16 is too young for us to choose what field we want to specialise in for the rest of our lives, but this approach will not make us more flexible with our career options; we will now have less choice than before, being forced to study English and Maths until the age of 18.
Advanced British Standards (ABS) will combine T-levels and A-levels into one qualification putting ‘technical and academic education on an equal footing’, we can hope that this will help acquire a newfound respect for T-levels, which are career focused courses perfect for students set on a particular career path. With this, you get practical time in the industry, while your teachers also ensure you’ve acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to perform your role. Despite the push from schools, colleges and parents for students to know what they plan on doing with the rest of their lives when they’re just 1/5 of the way there, employers and parents alike still seem to frown upon the idea of choosing technical qualifications over academic ones and still only 47% of universities accept them.
The new Advanced British Standards will require an extra 195 hours in the classroom over the 2 years! I don’t know how anyone else feels about that, but it doesn’t sound too exciting to me. Also, with the significant fall in the number of teachers, I wonder who they are expecting to provide these extra hours?
Along with these changes, we will also have to get used to the way we apply to university: no more personal statements and more general ones. From 2025, applicants will have to answer 6 key questions including ‘Why are you motivated to do this course?’ and ‘How have you prepared through your learning so far?’. Hopefully, this will help make the applications fairer as 79% of applicants said they needed support to write their personal statements, but what happens when you can’t access this support- you get left behind. Whilst personal statements are a good way for students to have their own voice and promote themselves, this more structured approach will help bring clarity over the content and guide students on how to express themselves, it will make the application process easier and give everyone a more equal chance.
Despite the push for independence amongst young people, we are still left out of the loop when it comes to deciding what’s best for our education. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to ask us what we need help with and what needs to improve?
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