Are A-levels losing meaning?

The A-level results for UK students came out yesterday and, for yet another year, the results have improved. The number of A grades this year stood at almost 26%. This has prompted the same old arguments about whether A levels are getting easier, to the point where they may lose meaning for Universities offering undergraduate degree places.

But, I think we're missing the point here. Surely, it's not about whether A-levels are easier, but whether they really prepare students going on to those undergraduate degrees. It isn't just a step up to degree level anymore, now it's a whole new ball game. In school, for the most part, students are still taught in the traditional sense, with teachers imparting their knowledge to them. In the modern university system, that paradigm has shifted. The responsibility is now much more on the student to learn and they are expected to take responsibility for their own development. This is good; it's a clear preparation for the world of work, but for some undergraduate students, it can come as a nasty shock. Students are often expected to find, research and reference material themselves and this is one arena where Wikipedia just isn't going to cut it.

We need to head towards a school system that is prepared to give students a bigger taste of what that level of academic life is like. We need to start to show our 16-18 year olds how to research, how to analyse information, and how to improve and understand their own learning.

Let's allow our teachers to spread their wings and really show what they can do.