Leading article: Speed up the marking

The integrity of A-levels is again coming under scrutiny in the run-up to this summer's exams. Reports are emerging of candidates in both state and independent schools predicted to achieve three As at A-level being refused university places.

The integrity of A-levels is again coming under scrutiny in the run-up to this summer's exams. Reports are emerging of candidates in both state and independent schools predicted to achieve three As at A-level being refused university places. Meanwhile, research by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance exam board shows that if an A-star grade were introduced at A-level, the gap between what state and independent school pupils achieve would be even greater. This, in turn, is leading to dire warnings that independent-school parents will reach for legal action if their offspring are rejected in favour of state school pupils.

The growing controversy over A-levels is putting pressure on ministers to come up with a speedy solution to the problem. To restore confidence in the exam, they need to take action sooner rather than later, and certainly before they decide whether to give the green light to the Tomlinson proposals for shaking up secondary examinations. The former chief inspector himself believes it will take 10 years before his entire package of reforms is bedded down, so ministers would be wise to detach the problems with A-levels from all the other elements he recommends.

Head teachers' leaders and the exam boards have suggested one way round the problems. Individual pupils' marks could be passed on to university admissions officers. This would give a more precise measure of achievement and mean that the admissions people would be surer of their ground in sifting out the highest flyers for popular courses. Head teachers and the exam boards prefer it to the idea of introducing a new A-star or distinction grade which, they say, would devalue the grading system and put more stress on pupils. The problem is that, under the present system, marks become available only in August when the results are published and it is too late. So, this solution would have limited value at the moment. However if a post-qualification application system were introduced enabling young people to apply to university once they had their A-level results, the problem would not arise. We hope that the move towards more online marking by the exam boards - enabling results to be published earlier (and thereby giving pupils an angst-free summer holiday) - will make this much-needed change easier to implement. Over to you, Charles Clarke.