UCAS update: qualifications reform and the new Tariff - Alan Jones Professional Development Executive
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UCAS update: qualifications
reform and the new Tariff
Alan Jones
Professional Development Executive
February 2015 1
Qualifications reform
February 2015 2
English 18 year old entry rate by type of
qualifications held
February 2015 3
English 18 year old ratio of acceptances holding
BTECs to to acceptances holding A levels
February 2015 4
Acceptance rates for English 18 year olds by
level and type of qualification held
February 2015 5
An HE admissions perspective
New core maths Decoupled AS
- England - England New Nationals
Science - Scotland
practical -
England
New Highers
- Scotland
New A levels
– England,
Wales, NI VQ reform
- England
New Welsh
Bacc - Wales
Coupled AS –
New GCSEs - Wales and NI
England
Increased use of VQs
Declining 18 year old population February 2015 6
• DATA
• Biog, chem and phys – numbers (trend)
• 1/2/3 science progression trends – HML Tariff and POLAR
• 1/2/3 science - JACs
11/02/2015 7
The impact of the A level changes
• Many universities in favour of more synoptic learning and
assessment; supports progression to HE
• Will be challenging to manage mixed model of old and
qualifications, and differences between England, Wales and NI
• Unclear if/how practical sciences will feature in offers
• Concerns about inflation of predicted grades
• Need to align offer making with standard state sector
curriculum
February 2015 8
The impact of the AS changes
• Use of AS in admissions is variable; not used widely in entry
requirements and unlikely to change
• Loss of AS results could lead to greater reliance on subjective
information e.g. predicted grades, personal statement, reference –
and/or greater reliance on GCSEs
• BUT also concern about accuracy of predicted grades
• Increase in admissions tests unlikely
• Concern about impacts on widening participation
• Universities want to know what curriculum schools will offer
• Wales – AS will remain coupled, but 40% contribution
February 2015 9UCAS survey on A level reform
Schools in England currently deciding what A level programme
they intend to offer from 2015 onwards in light of A level
reform.
Universities and colleges are also interested to know what
qualifications applicants may present in the future.
Survey designed to provide an indication of what the future
may look like.
February 2015 10In 2015, what will schools offer in terms
of AS?
Offer an AS in all reformed A level subjects
Offer an AS in some reformed A level subjects
Do not offer the AS in reformed subjects
Undecided
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
February 2015 11In 2015, what will schools offer in terms
of AS? (By school type)
Offer an AS in all reformed A level subjects
Offer an AS in some reformed A level subjects
Do not offer the AS in reformed subjects
Undecided
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
State Independent Academy
February 2015 12Do you intend to revisit this decision in
2017?
Yes
No
Undecided
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
February 2015 13HEP response Aston University
“If a school or college chooses to enter its
students for AS levels then this should be
University of Sheffield stated on the UCAS form and in the UCAS
“At present (2014) there are a small number of areas reference."
in which AS attainment is a key part of the
admissions decision at Sheffield, and we will ensure
that, by the time applicants are presenting with King’s
reformed AS and A levels, any areas which currently “King’s appreciates that under the new post-16 funding
use AS grades revise their practices so that there is model, schools and colleges may find it challenging to
no advantage or disadvantage to applicants based on offer such a wide range of subjects, especially if the
the presence or otherwise of certified AS grades on class size is small. If the range of subject choices on
their UCAS application.” offer to students has been restricted then a school or
college may wish to include this information in the
UCAS reference.”
University College London
“At present all applicants to UCL taking A levels are required to offer 3 A levels and a pass in a 4th
subject at AS level. The requirement for the 4th AS was introduced with Curriculum 2000 and
modular A levels, when 4 subjects were routinely offered in year 12. Now that there has been a
change in funding and a return to linear A levels it is likely that UCL will no longer require a 4th
AS. We would not wish to maintain a requirement that would disadvantage applicants from
schools that are not able to offer four subjects.”
February 2015 14Impact of GCSE changes
• Interim challenge of modular as linear GCSEs
• Achievement of GCSE grade C in English Language and Maths
is standard
• Likely to be grade 4 under new grading structure
• Some professionally accredited courses specify GCSE
requirements
• GCSE results may be used to discriminate between candidates
for very competitive courses
• Will be challenging to manage mixed model of old and
qualifications, and differences between England, Wales and NI
• Uncertain as yet how new grading will be used for admissions
to medicine, veterinary science and dentistry courses
February 2015 15Challenges for admissions professionals
• Maintaining fair and transparent admissions is paramount
• Volume of change, especially from 2017
• Fewer “standard” applications makes the process of admissions
more demanding and time-consuming
• Loss of reliance on historic evidence base; will take years to
rebuild offer-making strategies
• Treatment of GCSEs, AS and A levels from England, Wales and NI
• Narrowing of curriculum breath and subject choice:
- impact s on widening participation
- information and advice will need to be stronger
February 2015 16What is UCAS doing to help?
UCAS products and services to
include new qualifications
Awareness raising
Qualifications information on our
website
New Tariff events (e.g. University
of Exeter 23 April)
Page in Adviser section of UCAS
website linking to HEP statements
Analysis and Research
What else can we do to help
you?
https://www.ucas.com/sites/default/files/ucas-unpacking-qualification-reform-jan-15.pdf
February 2015 17The new Tariff
February 2015 18Background
In July 2012 UCAS completed the Qualifications Information Review (QIR).
The aims of this review were as follows:
• to understand and articulate what requirements learners, institutions and other
stakeholders have for information about qualifications to enable fair, transparent
and efficient admissions to HE
• to review how effective the Tariff and other approaches are in meeting these
needs
• to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including regulators and awarding
organisations, to develop and consult on improvements and alternative
approaches
Review found that HEPs would welcome more information regarding qualifications.
February 2015 19Issues - identified by Qualifications Information
Review (QIR)
1. Lack of Opaque process for allocating Tariff points
transparency
2. Not meeting the Did not fully support HEPs for management information
needs of HE sector purposes
3. Costly Cost implications for awarding organisations
4. Non-inclusive Unable to accommodate all UK regulated Level 3/ SCQF
Level 6 qualifications
5. Unsustainable Not robust enough to cope with ongoing UK qualifications
reforms across the UK
6. UK-centric Not responsive to the growing demand for international
qualifications to be included in the Tariff
7. Confusing for Misunderstanding amongst some students about how the
students Tariff is used in admissions
The issues February 2015 20The way forward
The review found that higher education providers (HEPs) wanted much
more information regarding qualifications and that there were issues with
the current Tariff that needed to be resolved.
As a result the UCAS Board agreed to develop a new simple Tariff and
support the development of qualification information profiles (QIPs) to
provide clear and consistent information on different qualifications to
support admissions staff.
The shaping of the new Tariff has benefitted enormously from a Project
Advisory Group.
Outcomes February 2015 21Project Advisory Group
Development of the new Tariff has been overseen by a project advisory group
comprising:
• HEPs
• Teachers
• Teaching representative bodies such as the Association of School and
College Leaders (ASCL)
• Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA)
• Association of Colleges (AoC)
• Higher Education Liaison Officers Association (HELOA)
The new Tariff February 2015 22How the new Tariff works
February 2015 223Design principles
1. Transparency Clear process for allocating Tariff points
2. Meets the needs of Supports HEPs that use the Tariff for management
the HE sector information purposes and admissions purposes
3. Cost effective Lower cost than the current process and/or no charge to
awarding organisations
4. Comprehensive Has the scope to accommodate all UK regulated Level 3/
SCQF Level 6 qualifications
5. Sustainable Robust enough to cope with qualifications reforms across
the UK, and to last for a minimum of ten years
6. Flexible Sufficiently flexible to cope with the widest range of
qualifications and accommodate future changes to them
7. Support fairness Fair to the greatest number of applicants across the UK and
in support of the widening participation agenda
The new Tariff February 2015 24Methodology
New Tariff points are determined by multiplying size and grade bands
size x grade
Size bands - qualifications will be allocated a size band of
1 to 4, based on their guided learning hours
Grade bands – qualifications will also be allocated a grade
band. Our recommended option contains 12 grade bands
across a value range of 3-14. These grade bands spread
across the breadth of Level 3 / SCQF Level 6
February 2015 25Size bands
Four size bands ensure that existing size relationships between qualifications
are maintained whilst not over-emphasising the importance of size
The AS remains half the size of an A level and is size band 2
Scottish Highers are allocated to a size band in between AS and A level
Scottish Advanced Higher, A levels, IBHL, Pre-U Principal Subjects are in the
same size band, size band 4
Welsh Baccalaureate is being revised for programmes starting in 2015. The
new qualification is expected to be of equivalent size to an A level and would
therefore be allocated to size band 4
The new Tariff February 2015 26Examples
Size
Size
band Qualifications included GLH/NLH
band GLH/NLH
value
1 < 120 1 Free Standing Mathematics Qualifications 60
IB Theory of Knowledge 100
IB Extended Essay 100
2 120-219 2 Extended Project Qualification 120
AS 180
BTEC (QCF) L3 Certificate 180
IB Standard Certificate 200
3 220-319 3 Scottish Higher 240
4 320+ 4 Scottish Advanced Higher 320
A level 360
IB Higher Certificate 360
BTEC (QCF) L3 Subsidiary Diploma 360
Pre-U Principal Subject 380
The new Tariff February 2015 27Grade bands
A finite grade scale has been established for Level 3/SCQF Level 6
qualifications providing 12 grade bands that all qualifications can
be mapped to.
Grade A level AS Scottish Scottish
Points Highers Adv
• The new Tariff uses a 3-14 point scale with
(New 12 grade bands
Tariff) Highers
• Scale starts at 3 points (as 1 or 2 points
14 A* A
does not provide a sufficient multiplier
13
effect)
12 A B
11 A
• The scale ensures that key UK benchmark
10 B A C qualifications such as Scottish Highers can
9 B be precisely positioned in agreement
8 C B D with UK qualification regulators
7 C
6 D C • The scale is finite – for example,
5 D D qualification grades operating significantly
4 E above A* at A level are considered Level 4
3 E
The new Tariff February 2015 28New Tariff points – A levels
The new Tariff numbers are very different (i.e. lower).
For example, the illustration below taken from the new Tariff tables shows
that the new total Tariff points for an A level A* grade = 56 points; under the
current Tariff the A level A* grade is allocated 140 points.
The new Tariff February 2015 29Positioning of the AS
Value of AS qualification has been adjusted to circa
40% of an A level at each grade to reflect the Ofqual
statement –
‘the material studied in AS is less demanding than an A level’.
Adjustment has been applied to other qualifications e.g.
Pre-U short-courses that are aligned to the AS rather than the
A level.
February 2015 30Timeline for schools, colleges & HEPs – new Tariff
Calculator available
on UCAS website for
students to use
2017 Entry
applicants receive
UCAS search tool their results
opens (entry 2017)
Feb/Mar Sept onwards July/August from Sept/Oct
Sept 2014 Sept 2015 May 2016 2017 2017
2015 2016
UCAS 2017 Entry 2017 Entry
published the applicants start applicants begin
new Tariff their Level 3 their HE courses
points, toolkit qualifications
& factsheets First offers made
to 2017 applicants
February 2015 311
The new TariffResources & support
February 2015 32New UCAS tariff
http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/advisers-and-referees/tariff-2017
COMING SOON…
• New tariff video
(expected Feb 2015)
• New tariff calculator
(expected Feb 2015)
February 2015 33• DATA
• Biog, chem and phys – numbers (trend)
• 1/2/3 science progression trends – HML Tariff and POLAR
• 1/2/3 science - JACs
new Tariff offers from Sept 16
11/02/2015 34Keeping in touch
Ben Jordan
Senior Policy Executive
01242 544883
b.jordan@ucas.ac.uk
February 2015 35You can also read
