This page summarises one column from Hilary Wilce’s Quandary series for The Independent. A parent wrote in to say that her daughter’s school was not preparing students for the new A* grade at A level, and asked what the daughter should do. The reply is described here in general terms.
The question
The writer’s daughter was aiming for Oxford or Cambridge, and the parent was concerned that teachers had not explained how the extra grade would work.
The response
Wilce agreed that it would be disappointing if teachers had not covered the change. However, she suggested that a student with Oxbridge ambitions could research the new grade herself and think about what it meant for her own work, rather than waiting for the school to act. Complaining about teachers without taking any steps, she argued, would be a poor strategy.
Why the A* was introduced
The column explained that the A grade was designed to help universities tell apart the very strongest candidates, since so many students now obtained an A. At first, some universities were reluctant, because early trials suggested the grade could favour pupils from private schools. By the time of the column, though, Cambridge, Imperial College London and UCL had said they would look for A candidates on some courses.
The takeaway
For a student with high ambitions, the practical message was to work extremely hard, as she probably already was. Students and parents should always check current admissions requirements directly with the universities concerned.
Return to the Quandary overview or read about the author on the home page.