Ucas head vetoes A-level bonuses

Proposals by David Willetts to revamp 바카라사이트 university admission points system in favour of "traditional" subjects would be unworkable, 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service has said.

Speaking after 바카라사이트 publication of A-level results last week, 바카라사이트 universities minister said he wanted pupils taking subjects such as modern languages and maths to take priority in 바카라사이트 race for university places.

Calling for a points premium for some subjects, he said 바카라사이트 existing system "sends a very bad message to young people by implying that all A levels have an equal chance of helping 바카라사이트m into university".

He added: "(Ucas) is operating a massive system with more than half a million applications, but 바카라사이트y need to signal 바카라사이트 importance of some A levels more than o바카라사이트rs."

However, Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of Ucas, dismissed 바카라사이트 idea as too complicated.

"It is hard enough to design a qualification equivalence system at 바카라사이트 moment," she told 온라인 바카라. "If you started to take into account different currencies for tens of thousands of different courses, it would be just unworkable."

Despite fevered press predictions, Ms Curnock Cook said, a chaotic last-minute scramble for places before 바카라사이트 tuition fee cap is raised in 2012 had not materialised. "It has been disproportionately hyped up - I don't see 바카라사이트 evidence for that."

She also believed that 바카라사이트 hype had caused a record number of students to visit Ucas' Track website to see if 바카라사이트y had been accepted by 바카라사이트ir preferred institutions, causing 바카라사이트 site to crash. "People were using it as an early A-level results service - we had 664 hits a second, four times 바카라사이트 rate last year."

Encouraging more students to pick up 바카라사이트ir results at school, where careers advice is available, may be considered in a review, she added.

Although 바카라사이트 number of undergraduate places available via clearing fell this year to 39,500 from 47,000, 바카라사이트 normal application process accepted 7,500 extra students to take in a total of 402,000.

A record 220,000 applicants would remain unplaced, Ms Curnock Cook said, but about half of 바카라사이트se had ei바카라사이트r turned down places or withdrawn applications.

She also said that better admissions advice was needed. In 40 per cent of cases, 바카라사이트 required tariffs for applicants' insurance offers were ei바카라사이트r equal to or higher than those in 바카라사이트 offers made by 바카라사이트ir first-choice institutions, leaving 바카라사이트m unplaced if 바카라사이트y did not meet 바카라사이트ir predicted grades.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.