Cambridge to introduce new admission test

Cambridge university is set to introduce new admissions tests for every subject to make up for changes to the qualification system that will see AS Levels no longer count towards A Level results.

This change has been in consideration since last year, when the government first announced plans to change how A Levels worked. Certain AS Levels will now be uncoupled from the full A Level qualification. Schools can choose to run AS Levels alongside teaching for A Levels, but it is predicted that many will do away with AS to concentrate on teaching the full two year qualification.

Cambridge has long been against the reforms. In November 2014, the university wrote to schools and sixth forms in England asking them not do away with AS Levels, since they are used by admissions tutors to predict how well a student will do. Interestingly, the correlation is not seen when predicting outcomes for a Maths qualification.

The assessments will be unique to each subject, with some being sat before interviews in November on the same day as similar tests for Oxford, and others with shorter tests conducted at the interview.

The tests will be taken by students applying for 2017 entry, so applicants sending off their UCAS forms this September will have to take the tests to be considered for interview.

Cambridge University’s new Director of Admissions across colleges said that this move was in response to teacher and student feedback, as well as to “maintain the effectiveness and fairness of our admissions system”.

Peter Lampl of the Sutton Trust, a charity addressing educational disadvantage, has said any simplification of the process of applying to Cambridge is a good thing, but warned that: “tests could present a disadvantage for low-and middle-income students as there is a thriving market in private tuition for the extra admissions tests.”