Universities minister urges students disappointed in clearing to enhance their CVs and apply to less competitive institutions
Students who fail to get on to a degree course this year should take up volunteering to enhance their CVs and apply to less competitive universities next year, the universities minister said today, as 180,000 candidates chased a dwindling number of places in clearing.
A-level pass rates rose to another record high of 97.6% today, while an unprecedented 27% of entries secured an A or A* grade, in results that sharpened the already fierce competition to secure a degree course place.
David Willetts said: "It is intensely competitive for young people. Look at the extras you can put on your CV – taking the example of medicine, that could be getting involved in caring for people who are sick, in some way."
Candidates should consider an insurance offer as well as aiming for the more heavily subscribed universities, the minister said. "That's not a matter of aiming low but maximising opportunity."
The intensity of the scramble going on today was underlined by figures showing there were approximately 18,500 courses with vacancies, down on 32,000 courses with vacancies last year, according to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas).
The pass rate rose for the 28th successive year in results published today for candidates in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, increasing by 0.1% from 97.5% who passed at grades A to E in 2009.
An increased proportion achieved an A and just over 8% of entries received the new A*, which requires marks over 90% in a candidate's second-year exams.
These are the first year's results since reforms of A-levels were introduced to challenge the most able candidates with more complex questions, but the increase in the proportion receiving an A will raise fresh concern that standards have slipped.
Defending students from accusations that exams have become easier, Willetts said the A-level class of 2010 were more dedicated than a previous generation.
"I think they do work harder than they used to. The pressures on them are greater, they are more serious-minded and committed than a generation ago," he said.
The results showed that private schools did disproportionately well, getting 30% of the total number of A* grades although their pupils accounted for only 14% of entries.
Examiners today highlighted a gap in achievement between north and south that will fuel concerns about the social makeup of universities.
Pupils in the south-east, which accounted for 19% of entries, were awarded 23% of A* grades. By contrast, the north-east performed disproportionately poorly, with just 3% of A*s from 4% of entries.
There was an increased number of entries for maths, economics and further maths as candidates pursued the subjects most sought after by universities and employers. Entries for Spanish rose by 4% but other foreign languages continued to fade.
The competition for places at university this year has been fuelled by a record number of applications. The government has funded 9,000 extra places this year, chiefly in sciences and maths, but Willetts said he was unsure whether there would be further expansion next year.
Asked whether Britain had reached a peak of university participation, the minister said: "There are some factors in making this year unusual: a demographic peak, unemployment is high, and we had these decades of neglect of the vocational route. There are some special factors this year. I am working on the assumption of a continuing strong demand. I don't know whether we will have the same level of application to university next year."
He described the increasing number of young people studying at the Open University, and the growth of private universities, as "significant straws in the wind".
He added: "I do think that although going away from home for three years for a residential university course is going to remain a widespread option, it is not the only option."
Amid evidence that growing numbers of school leavers are leapfrogging university and applying directly to prestigious firms, Willetts said Britain needed to learn from other countries in providing vocational training and encouraging progression from skills-based courses to academic study.
The rise in the pass rate over the last 30 years has prompted concerns that A-levels have got easier while candidates' abilities have remained the same. Research at Durham University has found that a candidate who would have got a C two decades ago would get an A now.
But Ziggy Liaquat, managing director of the Edexcel exam board, insisted that the improved results reflected better teaching and learning rather than lower standards.
"Teachers are working increasingly hard, students are more focused, they have more access to information. I think we're seeing performance improve."
Labour's education spokesman, Ed Balls, said it was important to continue expanding the number of graduates.