Nearly three quarters of prospective university students would like the chance to take their A Level exams in the autumn, rather than being given a calculated grade, research by Student Hut has revealed.
32% of students said they were keen to take their exams later in the academic year, while 42% said they were undecided. Only a quarter of students said they would be satisfied with their calculated results.
The numbers are higher for students applying to Russell Group universities, with 41% saying they would like to sit their exams in the autumn, while only 20% of students applying to Post-92 institutions said the same.
“Students are extremely worried about the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on their education, and in particular that the calculated grade system will not work in their favour. Universities need to communicate with their prospective students about their admission process, and reassure them that they won’t be disadvantaged by the cancellation or postponement of their exams”, said Katherine Nicholls, Director of Research at Student Hut.
The findings have come from a project to track student opinion and attitudes during the COVID-19 crisis.
The project will provide weekly updates showing the change in student attitudes from the UK’s most engaged and diverse student panel, taken from an audience of one million users and over 150,000 subscribers.
