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Advising students on HE entry

Students are very influenced by what higher education wants of applicants, but advising students in light of Curriculum 2000 is not easy. Will those studying three AS be at a disadvantage to those with four? Would six AS be a suitable curriculum?

Here are some profiles of typical students, intended to promote discussion. What advice would you give to these students? They are all aiming for degree courses at university.

Katy: three or three and a half or four A levels?

Katy, studying three general A levels and one general AS, wants to know whether she will be at a disadvantage to those with four general A levels. Will she at least have an advantage over those with only three A levels?

Jude and Sadie: AS replacing A level?

Jude has D and E grades in four general AS subjects. He says he did not enjoy two of them, and that altogether they were too much work. He now wants to do one A2 and two other general AS subjects.

Sadie has been told that her school cannot offer two of the three subjects she wanted to do at A2, because the groups would be too small. She is reluctant to leave her school and friends so she has opted for three completely new general AS subjects.

Tony, Gordon and Peter: VCE currency?

Tony worked hard to get passes in three AS: English, sociology and PE. English is definitely his weakest subject. Should he:

continue English to A level and hope for a borderline pass?
replace the English A2 with a general AS in art or media studies which he is reasonably confident of passing?
replace the English A2 with a vocational AS in business in which he thinks he would get a very good result?

Gordon has excellent GCSE results and wants to do a business or economics degree. He was thinking of taking three general A levels and two general AS. But now he thinks one of the A levels should perhaps be vocational. He thinks the universities might like the two different approaches.

Peter is concerned that his vocational AS in ICT will not be sufficiently recognised when compared with students who have a general AS in IT.

Emma, Mel and Victoria: key skills currency?

Emma is struggling with her A2 course and feels she ought either to drop one of her four subjects or abandon key skills, which are taking lots of time. She says she is only likely to get an E at A2 and so it would be better to concentrate on the key skills.

Mel has made a number of changes. In year 12 she took a vocational A level in ICT and a general AS. She passed the vocational A level but not the general AS. In year 13 she switched to three AS subjects. She says it is not worth going on for a third year because she already has all the UCAS points she needs from these qualifications and her key skills qualification.

Victoria has six GCSEs including mathematics grade E and English grade D. She is wondering whether she should re-sit her English GCSE or simply rely on achieving level 2 units in key skills communication and application of number.

Could you advise these students confidently? You may feel you would like to know more about what HE is expecting of Curriculum 2000 applicants. In that case, look at the detailed statements and entry profiles from individual universities and colleges on the UCAS website.