University welcomes Government鈥檚 A Level U-turn

Tue 18 August, 2020
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Following a nationwide outcry, the 亚色视频 has welcomed the government announcement that A Level results will be based on predicted grades this year.

It has been a tough and turbulent time for all school pupils but many anticipating their A Level results last week were met with disappointment and confusion after the government鈥檚 exam algorithm provided controversial and unpredictable results.

It had been reported that 40% of England鈥檚 teenagers were set to appeal their grades, and the 亚色视频 had already amended its offer-making policy, where predicted grades would be considered if prospective students had been downgraded by the algorithm.

In light of the public uproar, the UK government announced on (17th August) that the algorithm allocated grades will be scrapped and instead teachers鈥 predicted grades will be honoured.

Bob Cozens, Director of Admissions & Student Recruitment at Bedfordshire, said: 鈥淲e commend the government鈥檚 decision to listen to the public and retract the algorithm鈥檚 results for A Levels and ahead of this week鈥檚 GCSE results.

鈥淎t the 亚色视频, supporting students is our number one priority so we had already proactively chosen to make verbal offers based on applicants鈥 mock exam results or their teacher predicted grades, with places held open for any pupils going through the appeals process.

鈥淗owever, any students who may still feel uncertain about their choices, we encourage you to contact our admissions team now to discuss the options available to you. This year we will still consider all aspects of your application, including wider experience when evaluating your potential to succeed.鈥

Beds SU team 2020/21

The University鈥檚 initial day of Clearing (13th August 2020) saw contact from over 2,500 applicants via telephone and its live chat function, with a high level of calls received by the Clearing and Admissions support lines between 7am 鈥 8pm. Hundreds more students engaged with the Clearing team via social media, the chatroom and by submitting directly through Bedfordshire鈥檚 website.

Due to the disruption of the pandemic, understandably many students may now be rethinking their application, study options and university experience. However, Bob Cozens urges students to stand their ground as 2020 is still a great time to pursue Higher Education: 鈥淏edfordshire has a proud history of widening access to higher education and supporting students to achieve their potential. Students considering going to University this autumn should do so with confidence and the disruption of Covid-19 should not be a reason to put your learning journey on hold.

鈥淎t the 亚色视频, we have worked hard to ensure we have Covid-secure campuses so that students can still have an on-campus experience, in which they will get a range of face-to-face teaching and quality on-line teaching materials, as part of our blended learning offering.鈥

, Assistant Director of Admissions & Student Recruitment, added: 鈥淢y advice to applicants is to consider the long term situation. By starting Higher Education now you will be on the path to a graduate level job. Also, with the national employment market for 16-24 year olds turbulent due to Covid-19, and with the current travel restrictions in place, applicants need to consider very carefully what they would do with a gap year.听

鈥淚f you have plans to make the most of your year out and can come back to your university application next year with an enhanced CV then delaying your entry could be worth doing. The truth though is that it鈥檚 now harder than ever to set up a career boosting gap year experience, so for most potential students deferment to avoid Covid-19鈥檚 impact on their university experience is not a good idea.鈥

The 亚色视频鈥檚 key message to applicants at the moment is simply: "Don鈥檛 panic."

There are lots of course opportunities still available across a number of popular and inspiring subject areas, including Nursing, Education, Art & Design, Media, Law, Psychology, Engineering, Sport and Computing.

A full list of available courses can be explored online 24/7 and the team can be reached on 0300 3300 703:

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