Category: Miscellaneous

PLAY HARD, WORK HARD

Let Down

Walking into school two years ago to retrieve my A Level results was terrifying.

Worrying whether I’d done enough in exams and coursework to gain the results that would get me into my university of choice is unlike anything I’d experienced at that point. My results were the be-all and end-all of my life at that point.

The truth is that A Levels mean nothing once they get you to your next step.

I know that probably isn’t what students want to hear if they’re now getting their results, but honestly? Bar maybe someone asking you out of curiosity in conversation about your A Level grades, no one cares. Truly. It’s incredibly rare that it comes up.

I spent the last two years of my school career putting all of my faith into my results. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret it – it got me to my uni of choice and now I’ve achieved far more than I anticipated two years on. But as we have nothing comparable, we’re told that these exams will be something that is linked to us for the rest of our lives.

Again, I’m not saying your A Levels don’t matter and that you shouldn’t put in the effort. For one, most university degrees have essays similar to those you write at A Level; your grades still go on your CV (although from my experience, the A Level results on your CV are only helpful if your subjects are relevant to the job you’re applying for).

I am saying, however, that perhaps we put too much emphasis on A Levels. Of course, we must encourage students to do well, but apart from getting you into university or getting you to your next stage of life, A Levels don’t mean much.

I remember thinking that once I went to uni, it would be as though my A Level grades would be tattooed to my forehead and that everyone would judge my worth based of the grades. I had this recurring dream that lecturers would split you based on your A Levels.

It seems ridiculous – I’m aware. Yet, that was how it was for years. It’s how it continues to be. A Levels are advertised as the be-all and end-all of a teenagers’ life. It isn’t that A Levels aren’t important, but the amount of pressure we put on the results can put enormous amounts of pressure on students.

I can only imagine therefore how students feel this year. With an algorithm created due to an unprecedented global pandemic, thousands have been left disappointed. Students in lower socioeconomic backgrounds have been impacted, and the unfair algorithm has left many without a place at university.

I realise we can’t give each student an A*, yet this algorithm seems flawed. Regardless of this – we’re in a global pandemic, give the kids a break! Although I wasn’t thrilled with my results, I’m certain I would have lost my place at university had I been impacted by this algorithm.

Yet, I had a part to play in my own success. I had exams and essays to base my grades off. For students this year, they’ve put their faith into a system which seems to have failed them. If you’re basing your entire future on your A Level results, having the outcome be entirely out of your hands must be incredibly difficult.

You can’t give all students A*s. You shouldn’t be able to penalise students based on factors they can’t change. It’s a global pandemic where the governments across the UK have stopped students from sitting exams. If the grades are uncommon this year, so be it. This year itself has been uncommon.

Equally, you can’t downgrade students from a lower socioeconomic background if you’re not downgrading students from Eton and Harrow. It’s hardly fair to claim the algorithm is the fairest way of calculating results if you’re penalising students from being from poorer areas.

Although the Welsh Government attempted to remedy the situation before results day by exam board WJEC suggesting that students would not receive grades lower than that they received at AS, there’s no doubt the damage has been done.

Governments across the United Kingdom have since changed their decisions and have decided that A Level students will now have their grades based on teacher predictions.

But what does that mean for students who lost out on their place at university the first time around?

I’m glad they’ve changed their minds, but it’s partially a matter of too little too late. It all feels a bit chaotic. What happens to universities trying to accommodate the students who’ve had their grades changed?

It seems unfair for all involved. Although the algorithm was well-intentioned, it’s left a wave of confusion in its wake, which will undoubtedly have a profound effect on many.

In a year filled with inconsistencies and flash decisions, it’s no wonder many would be left disappointed by the government’s decision.

By Tirion Davies