Cambridge raises its A-Level entry requirements

Cambridge University has increased its entry requirements for all science-related courses from the current A*AA to A*A*A.

At Warwick University, the new A* grades at A-Level were introduced for courses including Mathematics and Warwick Business School courses.

The entry requirement for Life Sciences at Warwick is AAB-ABB.

Cambridge insisted that 92 percent of their successful science applicants had already scored A*A*A or better in their A-Levels, and therefore, does not consider to be raising the bar for any prospective students.

In an official statement, the University claimed that the new requirement will strive to show applicants “a clearer indication of the level of attainment realistically required to compete for a place, and to thrive on science courses”.

Cambridge was among the first universities to ask for A* grades in 2010. Oxford  University followed in 2012.

The new grade was introduced three years ago to students who received 90 percent on their second-year A-Level papers. It was an attempt to distinguish the best students in their examinations.

The grade attracted controversy when introduced; its critics predicted that it would favour students from private schools.

Supporters of the grade, however, found that it actually helped raise the percentage of university students from state schools in 2011.

Since the introduction of the A* grade, leading universities have introduced hikes to their entry requirements, seeking to target the top tier of A-Level examinees.

The change in entry requirements at Cambridge comes at a time when students are demanding higher value for money in their education, most notably since the introduction of £9,000 tuition fees.

The raise in entry requirements also hints at the nation-wide issue of grade inflation and grade prediction.

Many universities have expressed concern for the expansion of the A* grades in entry requirements, as they rely on teachers’ predictions to give out conditional offers. They realise that it is hard for teachers to predict whether their pupils will achieve an A* or not.

Bonita Chung, a second-year Life Sciences undergraduate at Warwick, was not surprised by the raise in entry requirements at Cambridge, as they “show how competitive science-based degrees are nowadays.

“I can understand how it’s useful for Cambridge as a refining filter for applicants”, she said, “but am glad I don’t have to worry about A-Levels anymore.”

Ms. Chung received grades AAAAB in her five A-Levels.