The Times: Tough alternative to A levels ditched

Pre-Us were designed to offer a more rigorous end-of-sixth-form exam that prepared pupils better for a degree

Pre-Us, the alternative to A levels created and used by many English public schools, are to be scrapped.

The last Pre-U qualifications will be taken in 2023, with resits in June 2024, Cambridge Assessment International Education said. The small number of pupils taking the qualification had made it unsustainable, the exam board added.

This was despite the number having risen steadily in recent years, from 5,038 in 2014-15 to 7,850 this year.

Pre-Us were created in 2008 to offer a more rigorous end-of-sixth-form exam that prepared pupils better for a degree. As well as containing more demanding content than A levels, Pre-Us include an opportunity for pupils to undertake an independent research project.

Since 2008, however, the content of A levels has been updated and they are considered more demanding than before. Like Pre-Us, A levels are now “linear”, with exams taken at the end of two years and coursework largely scrapped. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), which gives pupils the chance to write a mini-dissertation on a topic of their choice, has also been introduced and is popular. While Pre-Us are still considered rigorous, the rate of pupils achieving top grades has become a concern.

The full online article can be found here.