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SPANISH has leapfrogged French to
become the most popular foreign
language A-level as students dream
of exotic travels in South America.
The numbers taking Spanish have
grown, while French and German
have been in decline.
In total, there were 8,625 entries
for A-level Spanish this year – up 4.
per cent on last year. French fell 3.
per cent to 8,355, and just 3,
students took German.
Professor Alan Smithers, of Buck-
ingham University, said: ‘Severaldecades ago six times as many took
French as Spanish, but it has fallen
dramatically down.
‘Spanish, like English, is a world
language so it is a good choice. But
its popularity may have more to do
with Spain and South America as
holiday destinations.’
Spain’s cultural and language
centre, Instituto Cervantes, said:
‘The Spanish-speaking world is
becoming more important in terms
of demography, economy, trade,
culture and so on.’NUMBERS taking A-level poli-
tics have rocketed as Brexit
sparks growing student interest
in matters of state.
There were 19,729 entries for
the political studies A-level this
summer, up 9.8 per cent from- This was the biggest per-
centage increase in uptake of
any subject this year, and fol-
lows five years of steady increase.
In 2014, 13,761 took the subject.
Most students sitting political
studies this year would have
started the course in September
2017, following the EU referen-
dum and election of US Presi-
dent Donald Trump in 2016.
However, the number of stu-
dents obtaining A* this year fell
by 1.6 per cent to 26 per cent.
Geoff Barton, of the Associa-
tion of School and College Lead-
ers, said: ‘It’s great to see more
young people taking an interest
in politics. It might be because
of Brexit, it might be in spite of
Brexit. This generation feel like
global citizens, they want to
stay connected with the world.’The great rush
A STUDENT who came to the UK after
fleeing her war-torn home in Iraq
celebrated fantastic results in her sci-
ence A-levels yesterday.
Yam Al Aloosi (left) is now a step closer
to achieving her dream of becoming
a surgeon after being awarded an A
in biology and a B in chemistry.
The 20-year-old – who has previ-
ously completed three other A-levels- left Iraq for Jordan with her family
in 2006 after an assassination attempt
on her father. They applied for asylum
in the UK in 2013, and now live in Liver-
pool where Yam has been studying at
the Liverpool Life Sciences UTC.
Meanwhile, a teenager trafficked to
the UK from Albania is looking forward
to starting work after getting his
A-levels. Stiven Bregu, 18 (right), was
smuggled into the country in a lorry
in 2015, and placed in foster care.
He now has maths, biology and chem-
istry qualifications from St Mary Red-
cliffe and Temple School in Bristol and
joins an accounting firm next month.
I fled Iraq, now I want to be a doctor
TOP universities were last
night accused of dumbing
down standards after they cut
entry requirements by up to
two grades to fill places
through clearing yesterday.
A number of prestigious Russell
Group universities, including Bir-
mingham, Warwick and Southamp-
ton, advertised courses in clearing
with reduced A-level criteria.
Ancient history at Birmingham,
which charges fees of £9,250 a year,
fell from ABB to BBC.
It came as universities were accused
of offering ‘bribes’ as high as £4,
for students who accept last-minute
places. They are luring them with
lucrative ‘clearing scholarships’, lap-
tops, fee discounts and even £
cash rewards if they ‘refer a friend’.
As of last night, a record 7,960 stu-
dents found places this year through
clearing – with around half gaining
spots having not even previously
applied to any institution.
Clearing allows students to apply
for the remaining university places
available if they have got better or
worse grades than they expected – or
if they did not apply before.
Experts say a glut of places com-
bined with a decline in the popula-
tion of 18-year-olds has led to some
that Russell Group universities
appeared to be asking for lower entry
requirements in clearing. Birming-
ham University defended the cut in
requirements for ancient history.
A spokesman said: ‘We only adjust
our grades for clearing in a small
number of subjects where we have
capacity and have confidence in a
student’s ability to succeed.’
Warwick University’s English course
originally required AAA but now
appears to advertise entry through
clearing at BBB.
A Warwick spokesman said: ‘Entry
requirements during clearing are
considered decisions to ensure that
students entering the course have
the potential to succeed.’
Southampton now appears to
require BBB for a biology course that
was previously AAB.
A spokesman said: ‘In setting these
requirements for clearing applica-
tions this year we have taken in to
account the reformed A-level qualifi-
cations which were designed to make
them more challenging.’
Meanwhile critics accused universi-
ties of ‘bribery’. Professor Smithers
said: ‘With the shortfall in applicants,
universities are desperate to fill their
places. They have resorted to bribery
of various kinds.’
Westminster University is offering
up to 40 ‘merit-based’ clearing schol-
arships, worth £1,500 annually for
three-year degree courses. A spokes-
man yesterday insisted they were
designed for people who are ‘aca-
demically excellent and work very
hard for the grades’.
Goldsmiths, University of London,
is offering ‘clearing excellence schol-
arships’ – worth £500 – to all clearing
students who achieve BBB or above
at A-level.
London Metropolitan University
runs a ‘refer a friend’ scheme which
gives current students £200 for every
new undergraduate they direct to
the institution.
Northampton University offers all
new students a free laptop or the
value off accommodation costs.
Comment – Page 18A-level demands slashed
and bribes for signing up
as desperate universities
try to fill lucrative places
Inspired by
those who
saved mum
Dyslexia? No problem!
A DYSLEXIC pupil who was
told she may never read or
write has achieved three
A-levels – and discovered a
passion for classics.
Shanyce Walley, 19 (left),
missed out on extra support
when younger as her condi-
tion was only diagnosed at- She joined a foundation
programme at Stoke-on-
Trent Sixth Form College.
She has now gained A-lev-
els in classical civilisation,
history and religious studies
- and has started learning
Latin. Shanyce said: ‘My con-
fidence has really grown.’
DEVOTED daughter Lissy
Walker is going to study
medicine at university after
being inspired by doctors
who helped her mother.
The 18-year-old – who
achieved an A* in politics, A
in biology and B in her chem-
istry A-levels – was just six
when her mother Emma was
badly hurt in a car crash.
The caterer spent five
months in hospital after suf-
fering a brain injury and
numerous broken bones, but
ultimately pulled through.Lissy (pictured with her
mother) was a pupil at
Putney High School in Lon-
don and is now heading to
Cardiff University.
She said: ‘Seeing the way
that doctors cared for my
mother amazed me.’Spanish trumps French Brexit boosts politics
By Elliot Mulligan, Sarah
Harris and Will Fryer‘Admissions like
a street market’QQQ Daily Mail, Friday, August 16, 2019institutions lowering entry require-
ments to fill spots. Alan Smithers,
education professor at the Univer-
sity of Buckingham, said: ‘Drasti-
cally lowering entry grades is bad for
students – who may not be able to
cope with the course – and the uni-
versity which may have to drop
standards to hang on to them.
‘There are many more places now
and fewer teenagers. Filling the
places is vital to income so the temp-
tation is great, but universities
should resist it because the numbers
of 18-year-olds will start to pick up
again soon.’
Chris McGovern, of the Campaign
for Real Education, added: ‘Univer-
sities will continue to lower grades
until they have pulled in a sufficient
number of punters to fill their vacant
course places. University admissions
have become like a street market
with admission tutors acting as edu-
cational wide boys.
‘It is a national scandal. Shame on
those universities that are placing
their own self-interest ahead of what
is best for young people.’
Yesterday morning figures from
admissions body UCAS showed that
the number of students accepted on
courses initially had gone down.
Among UK students, 348,890 appli-
cations were accepted – a one per
cent drop on 2018. This left universi-
ties scrambling to fill popular courses
such as English, history and biology.
A Daily Mail audit yesterday found