|
Support For The A Level Continues To Be High 11 May 2007 Since March 2003, Ipsos MORI has conducted research on behalf of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to assess perceptions of the A level and GCSE exam system. Findings from the latest wave of the research, conducted in November 2006, show that support for the A level qualification remains high despite frequent debates regarding the future of the A level and the potential impact of the 14-19 Diploma. Although teachers' confidence in A levels remains stable overall, confidence in the quality of marking and grading of A level exams has dipped slightly, but still remains at a high level. As in previous waves, teachers' concerns about A levels remain focused around incorrect grading/marking (16%), there being too many exams (12%) and the workload being too heavy (10%). A level teachers remain highly critical of the media's coverage of the announcement of A level results, with four in five (80%) stating that they find it "unhelpful". However, there appears to have been a softening of opinion, as there has been a decrease in the proportion of those who 'strongly agree' that they find the media's coverage unhelpful: from 70% in 2005 to 60% in 2006.
|
