GSQT – Students should get their exam results before applying for universities, says Union.

Union says: “The use of predicted grades is out of date and no longer fit for purpose. Universities should stop using predicted grades when deciding whether to offer students applying for universities.”

University and College Union (UCU) has called for an “urgent overhaul” of the system as it says UK is “out of step” with the rest of the world.

Britain is the only nation that uses predicted A-level grades, made by teachers, for university admissions, according to a UCU study that looked at different systems in 30 major countries.

UCU said research shows only 16% of A-level grade predictions are correct and it argues the current system has encouraged the use of unconditional offers by universities.

Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, said: “We are alone in the world in using a system where students are offered university places based on highly inaccurate predicted grades. Unconditional offers have made a mockery of exams and led to inflated grade predictions, while putting students under enormous pressure to make a snap decision about their future.”

Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “ASCL echoes the concerns in this report about the use of predicted grades to award university places and calls on the government to review the system urgently. Out of date and no longer fit for purpose, it is a historical quirk which is not mirrored in other countries and creates unnecessary problems.”

Moving to a system of post-qualifications admissions would end the practice of unconditional offers. There are practical challenges in introducing a system of post-qualifications admissions but we do not believe these are insurmountable. The study comes before students find out whether their A-level results have secured them applying for universities in August.

Furthermore, it would require structural change to either the secondary or higher education systems to implement it. It was felt that students from disadvantaged backgrounds would be less likely to have access to teachers and support in making application choices, and universities and colleges would have insufficient time to consider applications holistically.