Preparing students for university study: a statistical comparison of different post-16 qualifications

In the UK, students who want to progress to higher education have a number of possible pathways at age 16. The most common of these is traditional, academic focussed, ‘A’ levels, but increasingly students are taking alternative qualifications (e.g. BTECs, IB, Pre-U). The focus of this research is to infer which (if any) of these qualifications are the best in terms of preparing students for university study, by comparing degree outcomes of students taking different qualifications prior to entering university. Logistic regression models were undertaken to predict the probability of a student achieving a first-class degree (or at least an upper second) depending on which prior qualification(s) they took. Students’ prior attainment was accounted for, along with other background variables (e.g. gender, socio-economic status, school type). The results showed only a few statistically significant differences in the performances of students taking different qualifications, with the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and Applied A levels seeming to provide particularly good preparation for university study. It is suggested that these qualifications may benefit students because of their focus on teaching skills such as planning, researching and problem-solving that will be required in degree level work.