The Role of the A* Grade at a Level as a Predictor of University Performance in the United Kingdom

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

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Foreign Countries; Grades (Scholastic); High Achievement; Higher Education; Predictor Variables; Academic Achievement; Multiple Regression Analysis; Correlation; Outcomes of Education; College Students; Intellectual Disciplines; STEM Education; Universities; Comparative Analysis; Academic Degrees

10.1080/03054985.2015.1090967

0305-4985

In summer 2010, the A* grade at A level was awarded for the first time. This grade was introduced to help higher education institutions to differentiate between the highest achieving candidates and to promote and reward greater stretch and challenge. Exploring data from the Higher Education Statistics Service and making use of multilevel regression models, this research investigated for the first time the relationship between achieved A* grades and performance at the end of three-year courses in higher education institutions in the United Kingdom. The results of this work showed that, when prior schooling and other background characteristics were accounted for, the number of A* grades was a good predictor of achieving either a first or at least an upper second class degree. Specific subject-level analyses revealed that the number of top grades in some A level subjects was associated with good degree outcomes in specific degree subject areas.

As Provided

35

2015

EJ1078795