Top universities are drawing up blacklists of “soft” A-level subjects that will bar applicants from winning places on their degree courses.

 

They are warning that candidates who take more than one of the subjects such as accountancy, leisure studies and dance are unlikely to gain admission. They say they lack the academic rigour to prepare students for courses and are alarmed at the way increasing numbers of state schools are using them to boost pupils’ top grades.

 

Disclosure of the lists will anger the parents of many pupils whose schools have failed to warn them that the A-level subjects are effectively worthless for entry to the best universities.

 

Ministers will also be concerned that they will undermine attempts to increase the number of state pupils at leading universities, traditionally dominated by independent schools.

 

Some universities such as the London School of Economics (LSE) and Cambridge University have already published lists of up to 25 subjects on their web-sites. Others are less overt but still operate lists.

 

Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group of 20 leading universities, said most top institutions would follow suit in “providing a steer on preferred combinations of A-levels”.

She warned that a new analysis carried out by the group showed that a gulf was emerging between state and private schools, as comprehensives opted for “soft” A-levels and independents and grammars tightened their grip on traditional academic subjects.

 

The list run by Cambridge advises potential applicants against taking more than one from a list of 25 subjects ranging from business studies to dance and tourism. It warns that such a combination “would not normally be considered acceptable”.

 

“Doing these A-levels individually is not a problem, it is doing too many of them,” said Geoff Parks, director of admissions at Cambridge University. “We know there are bright students on track to get As but in subject combinations that essentially rule them out.”

 

The Russell Group research shows the widening divergence between subjects being studied at different schools. In media studies, for example, 93% of pupils were from nonselective state schools, far above the sector’s 74% share of all A-levels.

 

The situation is reversed in science, languages and maths. In the state sector, fewer than one in 10 A-level pupils in nonselective schools takes sciences, compared with one third at grammar and independent schools. In further maths, 35% of exams are taken at private schools, far above the sector’s 15% share of all A-levels.

 

Meanwhile, the number of independent school candidates taking languages has remained steady, while those in the state sector have plummeted.

 

Competition is becoming increasingly tough at the top universities, with 94% of the students who entered Cambridge last year securing more than three A grades at A-level. At Bristol, for example, there are 10 candidates for every place.

 

 

Source: Sunday Times

 

Accountancy and Business Studies are seen as soft courses?

 

It's probably no longer the case, but the year I did my A-levels the % of A grades in Business Studies was reportedly just around the 10% mark. Which was a LOT lower than a lot of the more traditional subjects; Economics it was more like 25%.

 

Perhaps I'm rememberng wrong but it would be interesting to see how they drew up these short lists. Have they done it based on pass rates and the difficulty of the course, or if it more resembles what the media have deemed easy slacker courses.

Accounting? Soft? :o

 

Has to be one of the hardest A-Levels.

I did it same year as GCSEs and without prior knowlegde, it is so difficult and time consuming.

There's no such thing as a 'soft subject' at A-Levels. They all require time and hard work.

Sure, all subjects require time and effort, but there are more traditional subjects which are obviously more respectable, more reliable on fact and less of opinion. Some are just bits and pieces of ''real'' subjects e.g business and accountancy = economics.

 

Mabye it's just me, but i'd rate subjects like maths/science/languages are more suitable

Stuff like business, accounting and IT should surely not be placed in the same category as stuff like 'leisure studies'. Ridiculous.

Accounting? Soft? :o

 

Has to be one of the hardest A-Levels.

I did it same year as GCSEs and without prior knowlegde, it is so difficult and time consuming.

There's no such thing as a 'soft subject' at A-Levels. They all require time and hard work.

 

100% agree. Yeah Dance sounds easy, but we wouldn't have professional dancers if it was so simple. Yeah we can all dance, sing, whatever but that doesn't mean we put in a lot of dedication and do it well. Who are they to decide what's "soft"? We're giving them 3 grand a year so they shouldn't complain.

 

I didn't care. I chose what I would enjoy doing because it was 2yrs of my life, not theirs.

 

"Mabye it's just me, but i'd rate subjects like maths/science/languages are more suitable"

 

I wouldn't say suitable but they'd help you go further e.g. languages means you can work around the world, maths would obviously be used a lot and even the oral communication in English would be useful in the office...how would science help me when I want to be an accountant/pilot/French teacher/etc?

I agree with what's mostly been said - ALL A-Levels, Degrees, and GCSE's require a hell of a lot of commitment and hard work in my experience. I'm sure Media would be put as a 'soft' option, but I'd like to see the world if every medium of media suddenly ceased to exist. Load of bollocks - surely the important thing is that people are out there trying to better themselves through learning something ... if they do that to then be told if was 'soft' and a waste of time, where's the motivation for anyone else to try and improve themselves?

I'm still in my first year of level two Business and administration, I'm doing accounts later on this year and hopefully payroll. I don't see the point in going to uni for it anyway, if you put me up against someone from uni who has just past the chances are I'd get the job over them and I don't have a student debt to pay at the end of it.

 

The reason I can see why they are saying this is, is because there is other ways of doing both Admin & Business and Accountancy.

I'm still in my first year of level two Business and administration, I'm doing accounts later on this year and hopefully payroll. I don't see the point in going to uni for it anyway, if you put me up against someone from uni who has just past the chances are I'd get the job over them and I don't have a student debt to pay at the end of it.

 

The reason I can see why they are saying this is, is because there is other ways of doing both Admin & Business and Accountancy.

 

Inititally, you're right - but the point of a degree is that it'll help you out later in life, when you apply for management jobs, or a higher position the degree becomes influential. Of course, nothing is set in stone.

Surely it all depends on the course you're applying for... If you want to do a degree in Accountancy or Business Studies, then surely getting an A-Level in that subject is going to be beneficial is it not...? Similarly, if you do an A-Level in Dance and you want to study Performing Arts or Theatre Studies...... -_-

 

Not much joined-up thinking is there...?

Accountancy and Business soft?

 

that may be the case in England and Wales but that sure as hell ain't the case up here.

 

Accountancy wouldn't be considered a professional degree if it was an easy subject

Surely it all depends on the course you're applying for... If you want to do a degree in Accountancy or Business Studies, then surely getting an A-Level in that subject is going to be beneficial is it not...? Similarly, if you do an A-Level in Dance and you want to study Performing Arts or Theatre Studies...... -_-

 

Not much joined-up thinking is there...?

Exactly! I did a double AVCE in Performing Arts and that got me onto a Drama course at Uni..

Surely it all depends on the course you're applying for... If you want to do a degree in Accountancy or Business Studies, then surely getting an A-Level in that subject is going to be beneficial is it not...? Similarly, if you do an A-Level in Dance and you want to study Performing Arts or Theatre Studies...... -_-

 

Not much joined-up thinking is there...?

 

It makes sense but now you don't even need an Accountancy degree to do Accountancy, so in that way it makes sense that you wouldn't the A level to the degree....I think. :wacko: