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| Students complain of bad A-level advice for degree path | Students complain of bad A-level advice for degree path |
| (4 days later) | |
| Thousands of pupils in the UK are being given scant or wrong advice about the best A-level subjects to study to gain a degree place, a survey has found. | Thousands of pupils in the UK are being given scant or wrong advice about the best A-level subjects to study to gain a degree place, a survey has found. |
| The study by The Student Room online forum suggests many students have poor guidance on what to take at A level. | |
| Of more than 6,000 students in the study, hundreds said they found they had taken the wrong subjects to access a chosen university course or career. | Of more than 6,000 students in the study, hundreds said they found they had taken the wrong subjects to access a chosen university course or career. |
| The Student Room called it a "black hole" in school careers advice. | The Student Room called it a "black hole" in school careers advice. |
| Poorest guidance | Poorest guidance |
| Almost a third (32%) of those who took part in the study rated their school's careers advice as "weak". | Almost a third (32%) of those who took part in the study rated their school's careers advice as "weak". |
| About a quarter (23%) said they did not have enough information to make informed choices about their future careers or the subjects they should study to achieve their ambitions. | About a quarter (23%) said they did not have enough information to make informed choices about their future careers or the subjects they should study to achieve their ambitions. |
| The Student Room says the students who felt they received the worst guidance were often from the poorest backgrounds with no history of higher education in their family. | The Student Room says the students who felt they received the worst guidance were often from the poorest backgrounds with no history of higher education in their family. |
| Among less affluent students, 39% said they had received poor information on subject choices. | Among less affluent students, 39% said they had received poor information on subject choices. |
| Hundreds of students found their ambitions thwarted because they had not realised maths A-level was essential for a raft of degrees, including most sciences, engineering and computing, and is also sometimes required for philosophy courses, says the report. | Hundreds of students found their ambitions thwarted because they had not realised maths A-level was essential for a raft of degrees, including most sciences, engineering and computing, and is also sometimes required for philosophy courses, says the report. |
| "My school didn't tell me that maths was a requirement for the majority of chemistry and natural sciences courses, which means I am now very limited," one student commented. | "My school didn't tell me that maths was a requirement for the majority of chemistry and natural sciences courses, which means I am now very limited," one student commented. |
| Another said: "I was told further maths was only needed if you wanted to do maths at uni and now I'm at a disadvantage when applying for engineering." | Another said: "I was told further maths was only needed if you wanted to do maths at uni and now I'm at a disadvantage when applying for engineering." |
| Yet another lost out on a place to study medicine at one university after being wrongly told A-level biology was not needed for this particular course. | Yet another lost out on a place to study medicine at one university after being wrongly told A-level biology was not needed for this particular course. |
| The confusion is not just limited to science and maths subjects. | The confusion is not just limited to science and maths subjects. |
| "We were made to do general studies... which most universities don't actually count," said one student. | "We were made to do general studies... which most universities don't actually count," said one student. |
| Another complained: "I had absolutely no clue that history was an extremely desirable subject when applying for an English literature degree." | Another complained: "I had absolutely no clue that history was an extremely desirable subject when applying for an English literature degree." |
| The Russell Group of universities, where competition for places is intense, has published guidance advising students to pick at least two A-levels from a list of "facilitating subjects" to maximise their chances. | The Russell Group of universities, where competition for places is intense, has published guidance advising students to pick at least two A-levels from a list of "facilitating subjects" to maximise their chances. |
| 'Mismatch' | 'Mismatch' |
| But the survey suggests this message is not getting through to schools. | But the survey suggests this message is not getting through to schools. |
| One student said: "You're told to pick subjects which you enjoy and are good at. So I took a total mismatch of subjects with no real end goal and nobody said to me that I might struggle to find a university course because of my mixed set of A-levels." | One student said: "You're told to pick subjects which you enjoy and are good at. So I took a total mismatch of subjects with no real end goal and nobody said to me that I might struggle to find a university course because of my mixed set of A-levels." |
| "There is a black hole in school careers advice," said Student Room chief executive Jason Geall. | "There is a black hole in school careers advice," said Student Room chief executive Jason Geall. |
| He called for the winners of the next general election "to make immediate and long-lasting changes to schools' careers advice, so that students are properly informed, can fulfil their lifetime ambitions and do not have any regrets". | He called for the winners of the next general election "to make immediate and long-lasting changes to schools' careers advice, so that students are properly informed, can fulfil their lifetime ambitions and do not have any regrets". |
| A Department for Education spokeswoman said the government was "taking decisive steps to improve careers advice". | A Department for Education spokeswoman said the government was "taking decisive steps to improve careers advice". |
| She said: "All schools have a statutory duty to provide independent careers advice and are held to account by Ofsted on the standard of the advice they offer. | She said: "All schools have a statutory duty to provide independent careers advice and are held to account by Ofsted on the standard of the advice they offer. |
| "Our updated guidance, published in April, makes clear that schools should involve employers in careers advice and ensure pupils are informed about all options, from A-levels and university to vocational routes such as apprenticeships." | "Our updated guidance, published in April, makes clear that schools should involve employers in careers advice and ensure pupils are informed about all options, from A-levels and university to vocational routes such as apprenticeships." |