Fresh warning over A-level grade inflation

A-level results have increased much quicker than scores in the IB, according to figures.?Photo: PA

Data shows that average scores have increased by almost a quarter – 24 per cent – since the mid-90s.

Over the same period, results in the International Baccalaureate – a Swiss-based qualification favoured by dozens of independent schools – rose by less than 4.5 per cent.

The disclosure, in an analysis by the website Socialglue Schools Guide will fuel concerns that the sharp year-on-year rise in A-level grades is down to politically-motivated changes to the exam – and the comparable ease of tests – instead of rising standards in schools.

Jonathan Gittos, the website’s editor, said: “IB and A-level are taken by candidates of the same age and same schools.

“IB grades have gone up slightly in the UK compared to the rest of the world but the only reasonable explanation, we can think of, for most of the rise in A-level grades, is that the exam has become easier”.

He added: “One of the attractions of the IB is that it’s administered from Geneva and so seen as being freer from political interference and more reliable.”

Currently, students are awarded a certain number of points for each A-level exam, with higher grades attracting more points.

According to figures, the average points per entry in 1996 was 181.3, but by 2011 this increased to 224.7 – a rise of almost 24 per cent.

Over the same period, average points in the IB, which uses a different scoring system, increased from 31.6 to just 33 – a rise of 4.4 per cent.

The rise comes after Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, claimed that a shake-up of the traditional A-level grading structure was needed because of the rise in top grades.

He suggested that a fixed proportion of elite A* grades could be awarded each year to mark out the most exceptional candidates.

An alternative system in which all pupils are ranked in set order according to their performance in comparison with other teenagers could also be introduced, he said.

Speaking last month, Mr Gove insisted education standards had risen in recent years but not by the extent witnessed in exam results.

The rise may be driven by exam re-sits, the introduction of bite-sized modules and highly-structured questions that “sometimes lead the students by the hand through the process of acquiring marks”, he said.

A-level results: private school pupils monopolise top grades

Pupils from private schools were more likely to gain top grades in this summer's A-levels, according to the Department for Education.?Photo: PA/Gareth Fuller

Data published today shows almost 32 per cent of teenagers in the private sector gained three A or A* grades this summer compared with just over eight per cent in mixed-ability state schools.

At the same time, fewer than one-in-20 students taking exams in further education colleges and one-in-10 candidates from sixth-forms were awarded a string of top grades.

It puts private school pupils at a huge advantage when applying for Britain's elite universities which increasingly fail to consider candidates unless they score at least three As.

Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister, branded the figures “astonishing” and suggested thousands of children were being left behind.

"We must close this gap - which is why we are driving up teaching standards across the profession and developing a world-class curriculum for all," he said.

He added: "A-levels are a key stepping stone towards higher education and future careers. It's only right that we make sure our qualifications match the best in the world and keep pace with the demands of employers and universities."

Figures published by the Department for Education represent the first full breakdown of A-level results for 381,181 teenagers in England.

According to data, 12.8 per cent of students – almost 48,800 – gained three As nationally. This was the same as last year.

Numbers increased to 31.8 per cent among independent school pupils, compared with 27.5 per cent in selective state grammars, 9.8 per cent in sixth-form colleges, 8.3 per cent in comprehensives and 4.7 per cent in FE colleges.

Boys scored more top grades than girls for the second year running, the figures show. Some 13.1 per cent of boys scored three or more As, compared with 12.5 per cent of girls.

The Government has already indicated that top universities will be able to recruit unlimited numbers of students who gain at least two As and a B next year.

According to the figures, almost 45 per cent did so in independent schools, compared with just under 15 per cent in state comprehensives. This could further tighten private school pupils' grip on sought-after university places.

Data also showed a drop in the number of students gaining at least two A-level passes – from 94.8 to 92.7 per cent.

This comes amid claims that grade boundaries have been toughened up this year following warnings from the Coalition Government against “dumbing down”.