GCSE results: university places 'at risk' from grades drop

by liamssoft | August 24, 2012 at 11:20 am

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Leading private schools waded into the row over a sudden drop in GCSE grades today amid mounting calls for an inquiry into this year’s exam results.

The head of the independent school ranked the best in the country for A-levels warned of an alarming dip in the number of students registering elite A* grades in English literature GCSEs.

It was claimed that the move could cost pupils places at elite universities that require a string of top passes at 16 as a minimum entry requirement.

Another head warned that rising numbers of pupils were preparing to lodge official appeals against GCSE marking, claiming there was evidence of "very questionable" interference in schools’ results.

The comments came as Labour called for the Commons education select committee to conduct an official inquiry into the affair and the Welsh Assembly Government launched its own probe.

It is believed that some schools in local authorities including Leeds and Bradford are also considering legal action against exam boards amid claims that pupils from poor backgrounds may have been disproportionately hit by the lowering of grades.

Source: telegraph.co.uk