Massive decline in English A-level take-up thanks to Gove reforms

[noblegiraffe]

One for @piggywaspushed who warned of this.

Take-up of English A-levels has declined massively since 2016. There has also been a decrease in the take-up of Maths and Further Maths A-levels after years of steady increases (and the country cannot afford this).

Good job everyone. Well done.

Full figures here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803906/Provisional_entries_for_GCSE__AS_and_A_level_summer_2019_exam_series.pdf

It does seem that parents are demented about the STEM thing. The number of wild-eyed people at parents' evening insisting that their dc must do Triple Science.

When it was our turn the science teacher looked at us with weary, bloodshot eyes and said, "IrmaJr, do you want to do Triple Science?" "No thank you," ds replied. "That god for that," said the teacher.

My Dd loved Eng Lit - her favourite A Level. She enjoyed the course (OCR). She’s now reading a book on a beach and loving the fact she hasn’t got to be examined in it though!

It's horses for courses as a PP has pointed out. DD enjoyed chemistry because it was logical.

At the state secondary ds is currently at, the parents i know think if you are clever you do triple science end of. Its really quite short sighted. Dd2 is a clever girl and only did double science, will probably do well. But she knew she didnt want to do science a levels

I don't think it's to do with the GCSE reforms either. Students who find the new lit GCSE are not right to take A level anyway.

I think it's schools, govt and parents pushing STEM subjects as more valuable and what "clever people do." Those who choose one arts subject to complement two sciences will almost inevitably pick history now, not English lit as it's deemed more worthy. My last school had 140 maths candidates at A level, 90 history and 15 Eng lit...

I would be surprised, however, at a state school not offering English lit A level even to two students (unless in a partnership with a second school which did offer it, across the road or something.) Even though that number is financially unviable, it would surely be cross-subsidised. You can't have a sixth form that doesn't offer maths, chem, bio, phys, Eng lit, history and geography as a very minimum.

Find the new lit GCSE hard, that should say.

Only two of us did German A level to A2 in my year (a long time ago!)
We certainly need people in law who can write very well indeed. I have a new co-writer on a book and his/her English is some of the worst I have ever seen. Even just making our joint introduction something to which I would put my name was very hard, not least because I am trying to be diplomatic. God knows what they are going to do to the rest of the text. They should not be a lawyer in my view at all. There needs to be a much tougher entrance qualification based on standards of written English. Essay subject A levels can help although plenty of lawyers do maths, sciences etc.

Xenia - the company I work for have recently had to take legal advice regarding a construction payment dispute. I’ve been APPALLED at the standard of English that has come from the lawyers. Ok, the worst offender is a paralegal but even though, hes supposed to be representing our interests.

While I would still hope students go for subjects they have an aptitude for, I am actually really glad to hear more girls are taking STEM subjects. I work on industry and a balance of the sexes really is needed, so much is still very male dominated. I look forward to their being a wave of female talent emerging as the years go on. I hope too there comes a happy balance between the sciences and humanities as both are definitely important.

dangling there are quite a lot of state schools that have dropped Eng Lit A Level in favour of the more popular and (allegedly) accessible Lang Lit. This does not secure entry to some of the more prestigious unis for English degrees and isn't a so called facilitating subject. And so, the gulf widens...

History didn't used to be deemed more worthy than Eng Lit but was always more popular with boys. I guess because it is anchored in a reality. But, two years ago I had 50:50 M to F and actually most of the boys were very able.

Looking at my DSs' school's destinations stats is very interesting. Quite a lot of STEM apprenticeships but , in terms of degrees, business subjects dominate. I think, when I was at school, there were some marketing degrees, and economics of course but business as a degree has definitely proliferated. And business A Level is very popular.

Ah, I wasn't thinking of joint lang/lit as I've never worked in a school that offered it.

At ds's (independent) school and all the schools in my MAT, they offer lit and then lang only if there's the demand, year on year.

Definitely re the business etc too.

I remember quite well the destination subjects of my sixth form peers. Of the most able students, I'd say the vast majority did a "pure" arts/hums subject of the ilk: English, history, languages, law, theology, geography. A few did maths or science at uni. The less academically able students went for business, accountancy, marketing, comms, product design. And, of course, a few chose art, fashion or drama. Not many, though.

Now law and STEM are the gods, with psychology and business v popular with middling students and just a few opting for English, languages etc. When I was at uni, the business department was almost entirely Chinese students!

DS came home from school today clutching a letter for a physics trip on Weds (organised!) to Nottingham Uni which begins with a pitch about preparing them for physics A Level. They know how to recruit em in the sciences.

He did want to go 'because everyone else is' but ,actually, he no intention of doing A Level physics and is not doing triple. They had a taster day at the sixth form while he was away on his music tour. He was quite glad he wasn't around to go as all the taster sessions were science or design focused. There was a business session , too, but it seemed to also include a T of STEM focus.

Interestingly, the T of STEM is not getting as much attention (and nor, really is the M) in all the rhetoric and recruitment.

Agreed, dangling although I haven't noticed many going off to do Law (at the most able end) for a few years now. Because those very able are doing sciences. I think medicine is also losing out to sciences a bit. We have our most able doing natural sciences, engineering, maths, with the odd bit of history thrown in.

I think it’s fantastic that science subjects are on the increase - when I was an undergraduate 25 years ago, Physics departments were closing all over the place and A-level courses were woefully undersubscribed.

Science, and particularly Physics, has been demonised as ‘too hard’ for far too long and scientists seem as geeks or nerds. It’s about time the sciences were held in much higher esteem.

I think the fact that English Lit requires a fluidity of thought and expression while knowing enough to write 3 essays out of 30 (AQA Lit paper 2)for 2hrs and 15 mins might have something to do with it. The A2 is only 15 mins longer. Language requires a really good grasp of how to manipulate grammar for different purposes... And to spot and comment on when a professional writer does it. At a recent meeting all HoDs compared exam papers for literacy requirements. Without exception, all sympathised with us for the awfulness of our exams. No matter how jolly and edutainment based the lessons are, the course sucks the joy out of reading!

I would imagine the gcse poetry syllabus has something to do with it, if my dd is to be believed. She thinks it is utterly mysterfying and almost completely pointless. She's predicted 8s and 9s across the board. I'd hate to think what mid or low attaining pupils think of it.

Likewise my son who did GCSE last year and got grade 9s in all subjects except English, including all 3 sciences, History, Geography, German and Maths, so basically good at everything else academic.

He hadn't the faintest idea what was going on with all the poetry they had to do, he hadn't the faintest idea about the Shakespeare play they had to study, nor, in fact any of the other books etc. It all went over his head. I just couldn't believe how much both Lang & Lit was about fiction - there was even poetry and prose in the Eng Lang exam, but very little "real life" English. When I did my exams, fiction and poetry was just on the Lit paper and the Lang paper was a factual comprehension, a letter and a persuasive written piece.

Not helped by a really crap teacher who was about to retire and spent most of the lessons talking about how things used to be rather than actually teaching the poor kids what they needed to do to pass the sodding exams.

I'm definitely fully supportive of people pursuing science if that's what they love and are good at. However, quite a lot are taking up science at A Level who then do fare quite badly and may well have done better in other subjects. Students do often perceive the essay writing subjects as a chore, too, and feel (probably misguidedly) that they will have a lighter workload if they avoid essay subjects.

kazzy there is no literature in the new Lang syllabuses at all. In fact, the new one sounds a lot like what you are describing as you having done!
A few years back, some bright boys I taught did say they thought Eng Lit was their hardest GCSE. Results for Eng Lit do tend to be good, though.

I read and read and read so many books as a teenager. It gave me a very wide vocabulary and also just general knowledge about all kinds of things including about other cultures and other times - in history etc. However I did read law. Half of lawyers don't read law and do a conversion course afterwards. Certianly English literature and history A levels have always been a good combination perhaps with a language as I did (although that is definitely not a requirement for law by any means and in fact my ast law firm even recruited people with a PhD in biotech who had requalified as lawyers (as lawyer pay was so much higher) and those people were great at understanding the technology of the client.

Students do often perceive the essay writing subjects as a chore, too, and feel (probably misguidedly) that they will have a lighter workload if they avoid essay subjects

Which is interesting as it was the reverse when I was at school.

I was the only girl who did maths and physics and am now one of maybe five or six women over 35 in my office of over a hundred. Maybe subjects just wax and wane.

Actually I'll take back the waxing and waning, stem really does just need more women and always has done.

I also suspect that Lang/Lit may have something to do with non specialists teaching A' Level. Shudder.

"She thinks it is utterly mystifying and almost completely pointless"

DD thought poetry was boring, pointless and pretentious. Probably not helped by me agreeing with her. I really dislike poetry.

I am finding this a bit depressing :(