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Private school pupils edge state school counterparts

As students across the UK receive their A-Level results, the latest statistics suggest that pupils from private schools are more likely to receive a place at Oxford than pupils from state schools, even if they have received the same A-Level grades.

The information, obtained by the Guardian, reveals that amongst pupils who obtained three A*s or more at A-Level, pupils from private schools were 9% more likely to be offered a place at Oxford.

The information will come as fuel for those who believe that the interview process favours pupils from the private sector. However, a spokesperson for the university told the Guardian, “Admission to Oxford is based purely on aptitude and potential for the chosen course, without regard to school type or any other factor. The university puts enormous effort into assessing individual aptitude and potential, using a wide range of means. We do not know students’ A-level grades when selecting, as they have not yet taken their exams Aptitude tests, GCSEs and interviews, which are used in our selection process, have not been explored in this analysis.”

In some cases the imbalance was revealed to be subject-specific, with private school students much more likely to gain places in Classics, whilst there was greater balance amongst those applying for degrees in medicine, PPE and Economics and Management.

Over the past three years, 3,196 state school applicants received three A*s or more and 1,474 received offers. Over the same period, 2,175 private school applicants similarly received the top grades, but just over half – 1,098 – received offers.

The release of A-Level results has also sparked the perennial debate over grade inflation. Despite many years of increasing pass rates, this year the number of papers graded at A or A* has dropped for a second consecutive year. 26.3% of entries received the top two grades, compared with 26.6% in 2012 and 27% in 2011.   

Early figures also suggest that there is a shift in focus of subjects taken, with an Ofqal spokesperson telling the Telegraph “This year, we are seeing the trend of movement towards the more traditional subjects at A-level continue, possibly driven by greater awareness of the courses universities prefer and competition for places. This could mean the results look different.”

Overall, applications to university have increased, up 13% on last year, and UCAS has stated that the number of acceptances is the highest ever with 385,910 total acceptances as of midnight, up 31,600 on the same point last year, ensuring that the competition for places at Oxford and other top universities is as tough as ever. 

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