Right?! I was a BDD A-level student. Got a first, got a scholarship and MSc with Distinction, got a PhD, now an established scientist in my field. But sure, my maths grade as an emotional teenager with a poor teacher was the true representation of my capability...

A levels in STEM are mainly memorization with slight detours into application, and you can get great marks by just revising the material over and over again. STEM degrees in the UK are clearly not. Not surprised people can perform differently between the two

It’s not just the assessment. It’s a different pedagogy- among other things that shift.

I had a student with 3 GCSE bare passes who came at 21 as a mature student. She got a 1st and deserved it.

Nothing inexplicable about students doing better at university than at college. University isn’t college (or sixth form): it’s an entirely different teaching and learning environment where they’re (ideally) studying a subject they love, and consequently respond to positively

If A levels were an infallible predictor of degree grade, we could dispense with all assessment at University. A levels are a great measure of how a person performs in A level assessments at that time in their life. Nowt else. (Yep shoulder chip - grade D and E here)

During covid I did not have the chance to actually sit my exam and do my A-Levels. I wish I did have the opportunity, my sixthform was not the nicest place for me and I always felt demotivated as teachers would never help. As a result, they gave me BCC which did not reflect my actual grades because i was consistently getting As and Bs for two of my subjects. Im not arguing with the other C i believe i deserved that. But when I went to university, I was encouraged and motivated by my lecturers and I actually gave it my all hence why i got a First-Class Honours Degree in Economics.

💯 I got three Ds. My teachers told my parents that ‘university isn’t for everyone’…now I teach…at a university.

The headline also ignores the conditioning on going to university (ie the selection among those with three Ds before they start university). The actual data is: of those with three Ds *who also went on to university*, a quarter of those went on to get a First

I am this person! Two Ds and a C at A Level and then a 2.1 at university in language and literature - I was not ready for academia until my early 20s - but when it grabbed me i was SO into it

BCCE at A2, 1st class science degree at 26, now grad entry vet school! 16-18 is never a fun time to make life decisions, external life needs to be factored in + many A-Levels are exam technique over true knowledge.. Its not surprising people do better later if given the chance!

I can't imagine a world where lots of people improving and doing well is something to be feared, but then, I'm not a Tory

Rip-off degrees spectactularly improving students' performance and - oh, wait...

I did better in my degree than my 'A' levels. Mum died during my 'O' levels and I felt responsible for my siblings. Sounds awful but uni was a release - could focus on me and my studies. Blossomed.

Indeed. As somebody who taught & examined A levels & taught in HE this is entirely unsurprising. I got a self taught C, D & E and ended up with a PhD. Different times, different places, different motivations.

This happened to me - DEE for A Level but 1st Class at Degree. Yes University is a completely different learning style but the biggest factor for me was at A level, the grade boundries changed if students did well. One ISA I did had 8 marks between U and A...

I'm wearing this a badge of honour

Inexplicably?? Something to do with the focus of study, doing something they want to do, not have to do. Being treated as an adult..

I pulled off this feat 50 years ago. School was mildly engaging, I was intelligent, compliant but uninspired, so I coasted. University was inspiring and I felt challenged to explore my subject interests and study hard. No unit course - study your chosen subject and shine.

Imagine how studying a subject you want to study rather than having to take four from a limited selection may make you work harder, & let’s not forget the degrees where placement grades give a % of the grade giving those less academic students chance to shine!

Phil, THES have been pedalling neoliberalised higher education for almost two decades. Where else did you think it would end?

This is why the Open University is so good.

As someone with a mix of B C and D in AS & A levels - I can say that 6th form was boring but my BSc degree was great - engaging, practical and purposeful - compared to conducting the past historical tense of French verbs 🤪

Italy has a system where basically anyone can enrol at every university/degree regardless of their high school exam results, and you often hear 'comeback' stories like "he barely graduated from high school, and now he has a MSc with 110/110 cum laude and works at NASA".

"After four years of intense training costing around £30,000, students somehow performing better" - Such surprise. Many shock. Wow.

I dropped out of high-school. I now have two first-class degrees from a top uni and a job at a major arts institution working in the field I studied. A lot of the people I work with graduated the same year (2021), the same age (27) but finished high-school… why even bother?

I got DDC at A Level. Got a 1st Class with Honours and now doing an MA.

Also A levels are literally a snapshot of 6 or so hours of your life whereas uni has much more coursework and ongoing assessment. It's hardly surprising that some people will underperform in the former and reach their potential in the latter.

The UK has lost it. It lost the plot long ago. It's a useless Nation now which is antagonistic to the migrants, students, and everyone else on whose revenues it is literally surviving. SHAME on @RishiSunak @10DowningStreet

A levels have no predictive value for most subjects, but CGCSEs do. BUT I've known many students who started with no, or non-standard qualifications and transcended all expectations. I've always had a soft spot for the "industrious plodders" who turn out to be stars.

I had indifferent grades in HS and did better in ugrad. Improvement is bad, I guess?

Hand ringing from a certain class; We can't have the Oiks have 1:1 and 1:2 degrees.

That would be a nice world, unfortunately this is mostly just due to grade inflation.