A-level students 'more successful'
- 00:01:06
- ITN
A-level students 'more successful'
Students with vocational qualifications are less likely to be successful at university than those with A levels, a new report has found. Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) concluded that those with vocational backgrounds were less likely to attend a leading university, achieve less and have a higher drop out rate. The report compared students with varying qualifications, with the same number of university tariff points, and who were studying the same subjects. It found that students with vocational A levels (VCEs) were much less likely to go to an elite Russell Group university than those who had traditional, academic A-levels. It noted: "An unexpectedly small proportion of students with vocational level 3s attend selective universities. "A student with vocational level 3 qualifications is five times less likely to attend a Russell Group university than a GCE A-level student with the same number of tariff points studying the same subject." Those with vocational A levels were much more likely to change their course and up to 25 per cent were more likely to drop out, it found. After a year in higher education, 91 per cent of A-level students were still on a full-time course, compared to 79 per cent of vocational A-level students and 80 per cent of BTEC students. The report said some allowances must be made for the fact that A-level students tended to have higher grades and study different subjects, but this did not account for all the differences in attainment. VCE A-level students were less likely to get a first class or upper second class degree than their A-level counterparts, the report found. It concluded: "Once in a university, students with VCEs have significantly poorer outcomes (in terms of non-completion as well as degree class) than their peers with GCEs who have similar tariff points and study similar subjects. This is sobering."
ITN | October 2, 2008
