Oxford University’s Wadham College honours A-level offers

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A second Oxford college has said it will honour all the places it offered to UK students, irrespective of their A-level results.

There has been anger among schools, colleges and students since Thursday when 40% of awarded A-level grades were lower than teachers’ predictions.

On Friday Worcester College said it was giving places to all its offer-holders.

Now Wadham College has confirmed “after careful consideration” that it will do the same.

Ken Macdonald, warden of the college, said: “This year’s formal gradings are not adding to our knowledge of applicants’ ability to the extent that we could safely conclude that some of those previously selected for offers should now be denied their places.”

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He said assessments that tutors made in offering places “involved detailed scrutiny of academic records and university-organised subject aptitude tests, and face-to-face interviews”.

“Importantly, they also included a careful consideration of the nature and quality of each applicant’s schooling along with other contextual information.”

The college has promised that applicants whose courses are now full will be guaranteed deferred entry for 2021.

In England, 36% of entries had a lower grade than teachers predicted and 3% were down two grades after exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The government announced on Friday that schools would not have to pay to appeal against exam grades.

The exams regulator is reviewing its guidance on how to appeal against A-level and GCSE grades using mock exam results.

Ofqual set out what constituted a “valid” mock exam for students but it has suspended those criteria, and further information will be published “in due course”.

Overall results, across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, show record highs for A* and A grades.

An open letter to Oxford University, signed by more than 2,700 alumni, called for all colleges to make offers unconditional, with deferred entry where courses were full.

The BBC has approached the university for comment.