MORE than 400 students in the Isle of Man will receive their A-Level results today (Thursday).
It marks the end of two years worth of study in the sixth form and will see the majority of students go on to take a place at a university.
Last year students from the Island's five secondary schools recorded a record pass rate of 98 per cent and it is hoped that this will be repeated this year.
Jan Gimbert, the school improvement advisor for 11-19 education, said: "What we find is that our results at GCSE and A-Level fluctuate up and down and it depends on the ability of the cohort going through. We can't say if results will go up or go down but certainly, if you look back over several years, you will see the trend has been an increase in pass rate."
Students who don't do as well as required, and miss out on their first choice university, will be able to enter the clearing process to find an alternative course and institution.
Jan continued: "The requirements for university places have increased and for funding on degree courses the Department of Education and Children now stipulates the equivalent of two Cs at A-Level. I think you'd be hard pushed to find a university that would accept you with less than that on a degree course.
"There was a bit of a glitch with the clearing process last year but it affected everybody so everybody was in the same boat. Ultimately you want your students secure in their first choice university or if they haven't got that then we have staff in schools who work very hard to ensure they find a suitable place to continue their studies.
"The students who don't get their first choice have to perhaps be a little more flexible but I think ultimately if they have got the grades then they will probably be able to get a place. Talk through what your options are and try and find a fit that works for you."
Despite the record pass rate last year Jan said it is a common misconception that exams are getting easier and says students, and their teachers, put in a lot of hard work to obtain their grades.
She explained: "We would reject that exams are getting easier and this particular misconception demeans the enormous amount of effort put in by students and teachers in the run up to exams.
"I would say that many factors have contributed to the improvement in educational attainment of students in external exams - better quality teaching and learning, examinations being closely tied to detailed specifications, exam questions targeting a much wider range of skills where simple regurgitation of knowledge is not enough to achieve good passes.
"Finally the impact of technology is also quite significant. We've got good quality revision materials readily available online. The exam boards are quite good at issuing past papers and mark schemes. Students have access to the internet at school or at home or via mobile devices and I think all of those things have contributed to an increase in pass rate."
Staff will be on hand at schools to offer help and guidance to any students who need it after receiving their results. Students can also speak to the Careers Guidance Service which is located at Nivison House on Prospect Hill.
The A-Level results will be released to students this morning and will be released publically by the Department of Education and Children this afternoon. Check back to isleofman.com later.
