Result! A level results day 2018

It’s the annual A level jamboree, where hard-working students across the land are told their efforts are less worthy than their predecessors.

Some 18-year-olds will have secured their dream ticket today, some will be frantically searching for theirs, while the majority will be looking on nonplussed.

Institutions (and this year, it will be nearly all institutions) will be looking nervously towards their fortunes in clearing. It’s a good year to be a prospective applicant, with places available nearly everywhere. But is it evidence of a fully functional higher education market, or just a grim battle for viability now the caps are off?

The results are in

Overall, today’s A level results are relatively “stable” compared to previous years, especially considering the reforms that are still working their way through the system. However, the dark arts of grading always partly ensure that this is the case. According to the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ – a coalition of all the awarding bodies), grade boundaries are set each year for each subject to “maintain standards and allow for year-on-year differences in papers and questions”. This combines data such as prior student attainment with “expert judgement” of students’ performance. The regulator, Ofqual, uses the “comparable outcomes” statistical methodology to ensure fairness to each cohort.

The reforms started under Michael Gove were apparently “to meet the needs of higher education”, including more maths in geography and more examinations over coursework- although he’s not exactly famous for being the sector’s friend. Much of the changes were made before 2015 through the A Level Content Advisory Board(ALCAB), in consultation with (some of) the sector. However, some people will distinctly remember the approach taken by the Department for Education (DfE) during that period, especially Gove’s special advisers. The reforms also make year-on-year comparisons tricky, for instance with AS levels rapidly fading away in England, but still used in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Overall results and by subject, over time

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The chart above shows the proportion of students going into clearing over the last decade. In 2018 slightly fewer students hold offers (97,330) compared to last year (-3.07%) – though this needs to be considered in the context of slightly fewer 18-year-olds and applicants. Last year 66,865 people were accepted through clearing, with 16,950 of those applying directly once they got their results. At nearly all institutions, clearing is an always-on process, becoming ever-more agile and data-led.

Placed students (16 August) by subject, over time