A Levels: Business views

Government Response: Department for Education and Skills

Schools minister Andrew Adonis said: "Today’s results are a reflection of the hard work of our young people and the rising standards of teaching in our schools and colleges. I congratulate both students and teachers on these impressive achievements.

"I am particularly pleased to see a renaissance in traditional subjects, most notably the strong uptake in AS level mathematics and further maths. Maths and English are the bedrock of our education system and the growing popularity of these subjects is equipping our school leavers with the core skills demanded by employers and universities.

"I welcome the overall improvement in science entries, but the fall in numbers taking physics is a concern and we will continue to work closely with employers, schools and experts in the field to improve uptake, not least by girls.

"I am pleased to see an upward trend in the numbers overall taking modern foreign languages at AS Level, and the rising numbers opting for languages that are increasingly important in business such as Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Entries for Mandarin Chinese at AS increased by almost 10 per cent this year (from 3,289 to 3,596).

"We want to see the most able young people achieving as highly as they are capable. I am delighted by the almost 30 per cent increase in entries taking the tougher advanced extension awards.

"We intend to embed these harder questions within the A Level and we are committed to increasing stretch and challenge in the system. As part of our reforms we will make individual unit grades available to universities from 2007."

Party response: The Conservatives

Shadow education secretary David Cameron said: "The most important thing this week is to congratulate all those who have done so well. I know well from my own constituency just how hard many young people have worked for their results.

"I have always been a strong supporter of A Levels and believe they should remain at the heart of our system.

"The government has been in some confusion with the head of their own advisory body, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), saying they should be 'out of the door'.

"The government needs to be clear about the future of A Levels and should act to close down the sterile debate that takes place each year about whether students have done well or exams made easier.

"Marks should be published and given to universities as well as the grades, and the QCA should be reformed. It needs to be given a clear remit to be the guardian of rigour in the system and then made independent of government.

"It is notable that those schools with greater autonomy tend to have better results. This only confirms my view that the real agenda for education reform should be one of rigour plus autonomy.

"The decline in the number of students taking A Levels in foreign languages and pure sciences is worrying. Industry depends on having talented students with the right skills. Again, the government has done virtually nothing to address this issue."

Party response: Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Edward Davey said: "Labour's political cowardice on A Level reform is a betrayal of future generations and will hit Britain's ability to compete.

"Today let's celebrate success and congratulate the students and their teachers on their achievements. There are many reasons for these better grades, but the most important are hard work and better teaching.

"Major reform of A Levels can't be ducked and Labour's refusal to act is the worst kind of political cowardice. Patching and mending a 50-year old exam system is not the answer.

"A diploma would stretch our brightest, broaden education and end the vocational-academic divide. When business, universities and independent schools all now back diplomas, Labour's failure to act is a national scandal." 

Stakeholder Response: FSB

FSB education chairman Norman Mackel said: "After three years of exams, A Level students can feel like they are on a production line with university and conventional employment the only logical next steps in the process.

"But the world of work has changed significantly over the last few years and young people really do have a choice.  More and more people are seeing self employment as the more attractive option.

"Being your own boss is a great aspiration for young people and there is plenty of assistance available to help turn a good idea into reality. 

"Entrepreneurship is about seizing new opportunities and taking risks which is why it so vital to the economy and what makes it such an exciting career choice."

Stakeholder Response: IoD

Miles Templeman, director general of the IoD, told ePolitix.com: "Almost half of IoD members in an NOP survey said that they have encountered literacy and numeracy weaknesses in their young employees.

"These problems develop in primary and early secondary school - not post-16 study - and are reflected in weak GCSE results in English and mathematics and key stage two and three test results.

"As far as post-16 qualifications are concerned, A Levels, although imperfect, should be retained. There is little real evidence of standards being lowered and we would expect the quality of the students and their performance to rise over time. If universities need to introduce new measures to distinguish A grade from A grade then they should be found.

"There is no case for replacing GCSEs and A Levels with a diploma. A revolution in the examination system would not in itself deliver the improvements that are so desperately needed.

"It would not solve the problem of shortages of teachers in key subjects such as mathematics. The establishment of the diploma would be expensive, disruptive and take 10 years to set up.

"There is no guarantee that it would lead to higher standards or improvements in literacy and numeracy - the key concern of employers.

"Rather than initiating a massive upheaval in the examination system, the government should retain the existing system, make improvements where necessary and maintain the drive to improve literacy and numeracy skills, and continue to support the establishment of new vocational or specialised diplomas."

Stakeholder Response: Local Government Association

Councillor James Kempton, deputy chairman of the LGA's children and young people board, said: "Congratulations are due to all the students who have been working so hard to achieve these great results. Debates around A Levels might best be resolved by looking to implement the Mike Tomlinson's 14 to 19 proposals ahead of the 2008 deadline.

"The multitude of qualifications currently available not only make it difficult for employers to differentiate between them, they restrict the choices available to young people, both at the time of their studies and for the future.

"It’s unrealistic to expect young people to make decisions about their future at such a young age and stick to them for the rest of their lives.