Poor students ‘lose on grade predictions’

Sean Coughlan reports on Sutton Trust research analysing the UK university admissions process.

University admissions would be fairer if students applied after they knew their A-level results, says a social mobility charity. The Sutton Trust says relying on predicted grades is working against talented, disadvantaged applicants.

This summer, almost three-quarters of applicants in the UK failed to achieve the grades forecast by their schools. But the charity warns that poorer students are more likely to have their grades under-predicted.

Report author Dr Gill Wyness said it was vital that “disadvantaged students are able to play the admissions game on the same terms as their better-off peers”.

Under the present admissions system, universities make offers of places based on the grades predicted by teachers. The Sutton Trust says that this is a system that favours more ambitious, better-informed applicants, from wealthier families and high-achieving schools.

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Sutton Trust CEO, Dr Lee Elliot Major, was interviewed on BBC 4’s Today programme this morning too.

Read the full article here.

Find our report here.