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Cambridge Outlook 14 (2516Kb)
Benefits of university consultation already evident with Cambridge Pre-U
05 April 2012
This week the UK government has announced proposals to reform UK A Levels. These reforms call for a shift to a linear structure – like Cambridge International A Levels – and closer consultation between exam boards and universities to develop qualifications.
We developed Cambridge Pre-U, a new post-16 qualification, in consultation with universities. It has been offered by UK schools since 2008 and they are already seeing the benefits of its university-focused approach.
Ann Puntis, Chief Executive, University of Cambridge International Examinations said:
"The problem of students arriving ill prepared in their first year of university has been the subject of ongoing debate. This indicates more guidance is needed from universities about the skills and knowledge they expect undergraduates to have. It is therefore a significant step in the right direction that the UK government has, this week, revealed plans to strengthen the relationship between universities and final school exams and move away from a modular approach.
"We chose to address this in 2005 by developing a new pre-university qualification in collaboration with universities and schools. Cambridge Pre-U was designed specifically to prepare students for university. Its educational values are based on extensive research carried out with universities. This means the focus of the curriculum is to develop key skills required for university such as problem solving, research, critical thinking, essay-writing and communication skills. The linear structure of Cambridge Pre-U means that students take all exams in one session at the end of the sixth form. This enables students to develop in-depth holistic understanding of subjects and frees up many hours in the classroom.
"The number of students taking Cambridge Pre-U exams has doubled in two years, showing a growing appetite amongst schools for a qualification that helps their students to bridge the gap between school and university and develops attributes that universities want - the very attributes that will carry them through school, university and life beyond."
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