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Universities acknowledge 'soft' A-levels hurt chance of best destinations
Students who 'avoid challenge' of common subjects miss out on destinations at Oxbridge or 'redbrick' institutions
Top universities will these days challenge advice which acknowledges formally for the first of all time that they favour college students who research conventional topics at A-level.
The guide compiled by the Russell Group, a lobbying group for Oxford, Cambridge and 18 other foremost universities, confirms rumours that have circulated for decades that they favour all those topics above more recent ones this sort of as home business reports or photography.
It also reveals an overwhelming preference for science and maths subjects – even for seemingly unrelated degrees.
The new handbook, observed by the Guardian, is often a indication that universities are having to cave in to ministers and teachers' calls for far more information on how admissions tutors decide who they award destinations to and why.
By not studying not less than two on the following topics – maths, English, geography, background, any with the 3 pure sciences or possibly a classical or modern day foreign language – "many degrees at aggressive universities will not likely be open to you," the guidebook,
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It asks college students to question why they may be not taking classic subjects: "Are you endeavoring to stay clear of a challenge?" It states that whereas there's no "set definition" of a "hard" or "soft" topic, so-called "hard" subjects are such as the ones the high universities want and are more theoretical. It gives media scientific tests, art and layout, photography and company scientific tests as examples of "soft" subjects and states that they're "vocational or have a practical bias".
"If you plan to get greater than 1 perceived 'soft' subject, some caution could be needed," the guidebook warns.
In June,
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Just above 7.2% of pupils in England attend private schools but make up above a quarter for the intake in the 25 most selective universities, and 46.6% at Oxford. It can be believed this may very well in component be considering state college students really don't acquire appropriate guidance about what it will take to have into an elite university after they are creating their A-level selections.
Yesterday Wendy Piatt,
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"It is actually very important that college students will not drawback by themselves by choosing a combination of topics at A-level which will not equip them along with the acceptable competencies and understanding for their university program or which can not demonstrate efficiently their aptitude to get a special topic,
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Careers advisers mentioned the handbook would indicate clever pupils at comprehensives could no longer be in the weaker position to their peers in personal educational institutions when applying to primary universities,
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Some argue that pupils at personal colleges and grammars are at an benefit because they have teachers who may perhaps specialise in creating relationships with top universities and decoding universities' complex admission conditions.
The majority of your 61 degree programs during the handbook state that maths and/or science A-levels may be both a requirement to win a place, or "useful".
The guidebook reminds students that abroad, one example is in Asian countries, subjects these as maths, the native language, a science and also a foreign language are compulsory as much as 17. It implies that they are the college students that the UK's youngsters are competing with for areas.
Critical thinking and common studies are advocated to get further subjects, on leading of 3 or more A-levels. Science and maths A-levels are encouraged for degrees in archaeology, anthropology and geography among other folks, and law degrees don't need to have law A-level. Heritage may perhaps be beneficial alternatively, the guidebook states. For heritage degrees, some universities really do not require historical past, but are convinced English is invaluable.
Andy Gardner, a vocation adviser in state colleges and a representative of the Institute of Career Guidance, mentioned college students had confronted a "torrent of misleading info until eventually now".
Windows 7 License Universities admit 'soft' A-leve
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