UK News 14-08-2003 New A-Level Pass Record who: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) what: Says there`s no such thing as an easy A-level as pass rate rises for 21st year in a row when: Yesterday snippet: "A slump in the number of pupils opting to study foreign languages is revealed today," says The Independent, "as headteachers warn that teenagers are choosing `easier` A-level subjects such as psychology and media studies." The good news is that A-level results have improved for the 21st year in succession with 95.4% achieving a pass, up 1.1 per cent on last year. "More than one in five got grade As — an improvement of nearly one per cent on 2002," says The Sun. "But exam chiefs were alarmed by the dramatic slump in kids taking traditional core subjects like maths and science." And on a day in which the papers are swimming in statistics, The Telegraph calculates that "the pass rate has risen without interruption from 75.9 per cent to 95.4 per cent, an increase of 25 per cent in 14 years". But what do they make of it all? John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, tells The Guardian that "we are producing a nation of psychologists when the country desperately needs scientists and linguists". But Ken Boston, chief executive of the government`s exam watchdog, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), argues there is no such thing as an "easy A-Level". Meanwhile, The Telegraph reports the downside to getting straight As - according to Barclays Bank, students starting university this year are likely to graduate with debts of £17,561 and those leaving in 2010 can expect a bill of nearly £34,000. [... more]

What The Papers Say is delivered to thousands of readers every morning by web, WAP and email. Sign up today!