26th August 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
This is one of the nicest times of year for us; now that the A Level and GCSE results have been released, we’re receiving lots of messages from parents and students thanking us and our tutors. It was interesting to see the reports of more university places available through clearing than in recent years, and I do wonder whether the trend of fewer top grades will continue for a few years. Obviously if Michael Gove has anything to do with it, then it’s likely that it will.
I have mixed feelings about A Levels becoming steadily more difficult. On the one hand, I can’t argue with it; I’ve been saying for years that, not only the ease with which a student can achieve the top grade, but also the sophistication of the questions is far off where we were even 15 years ago. As soon as I began tutoring I realised that it had become easier to learn a style of question (in the sciences) and near-on repeat a solution the student had done previously. However, I balance that against the pride I felt when I got the top grade in 3 of my 4 A Level subjects (we won’t talk about Economics). As a teenager trying to find your way in the world, being told that you’re officially good at something is a really nice feeling. I know some students who, this summer, have received lower A Level grades than they expected, and I can see that it’s a real dent in their confidence. Basically my head says ‘Brilliant! Let’s make the exams even more difficult’ and my heart says ‘I want everyone I know to do really well’.