Student performance–university preference model: a framework for helping students choose the right A‐level subjects

Abstract

Every year, many students in the UK fail to achieve a place at their preferred university because they take the wrong A-level subjects. This study aims to suggest a framework for helping students choose the right subjects. Data on student achievement in A-level examinations were obtained from a UK sixth form college over a four-year period. Statistical techniques were employed to support our hypothesis that a student's choice of A-level subjects should be based on both the student's ability and a university's preference for particular subjects and grades. Despite the limitation of small sample size, a model has been created that will maximise a student's chance of achieving a place at his/her university of choice. The model presented could easily be extended in future to incorporate more levels in each of the attributes considered, and in this way it could provide the optimal choice of subjects for each individual student given his/her particular aspirations. IntroductionThe General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (commonly referred to as an Alevel) is the main qualification taken by 18-year-olds at the end of their school education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There has been considerable media coverage recently about the disadvantages to students of studying "soft" A-level subjects in obtaining admission to reputable universities. The notion of "soft" A-level refers to the perception of these A-level subjects being easier than other subjects to score high marks. We acknowledge that there are many factors that are considered by students when making their A-level subject choices. There are also external influences on students to choose particular subjects. These influences could be in the form of parental preference, peer pressure, media hype, etc.In this paper, we are not looking at the reasons why particular A-level choices are made by a student; rather, we have concentrated on the effect of the choice of A-level subjects in obtaining a place at university, with the aim of suggesting a framework to achieve maximum aspiration-achievement match for the student. It is also necessary to consider the admission criteria universities use, their perception of "soft" and "hard" A-level subjects and their view of suitability of a particular A-level subject for a chosen degree course. Most universities' admission criteria are based not only on grades but also on the type of subjects the student has taken at A-level, which are in general categorised as "preferred" and "not-preferred" by the universities. The "preferred" subjects tend to be subjects commonly regarded as "hard" and the "not-preferred" subjects tend to be those commonly regarded as "soft". This may lead to the situation of a student gaining admission to a university with a lower grade in a "preferred" subject but not gaining admission with a higher grade in another perceived to be a "soft" subject.The complexity of the problem is further increased by the perception of the students about different subjects as suitable subjects for their study...

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