UC048C08P
Dear Colleague
December Mailing 2010
I have pleasure in enclosing the December monthly mailing for 2010 from UCAS and UCAS
Media.
Important reminders:
Invitation to attend an interview or audition or provide a portfolio, essay or other
piece of work
Those universities and colleges that may interview, audition or request additional work,
such as an essay or a portfolio, are able to indicate through Course Search that a course
may require one of these elements. In addition, a university or college is able to send
invitations to applicants online. If an applicant receives an invitation they must reply online
using Track. Applicants have an opportunity to accept, decline or request an alternative
time and date. If they need to change the date they will need to do this directly with the
university or college.
When a university or college informs us of an invitation, an applicant will receive
notification that a change has occurred on their application and should be vigilant in
replying to the invitation on Track as soon as possible. Applicants accepting directly to the
university must also reply online using Track by the time and date given.
Offers received
Please ensure that applicants read and understand the offers they receive from
universities and colleges including when they must achieve the conditions specified.
Decisions will, in most instances, be based on future examinations an applicant is taking.
To secure a place in 2011, all conditions of an offer must be met by 31 August 2011. This
date refers also to applicants wanting to take a gap year or defer their entry for 2012.
Changes to future examinations since the application was sent to UCAS must be sent to
the universities and colleges to which they applied and to us. If the applicant has already
received an offer, the university or college may need to change their offer or decision.
The personal statement
This is an important reminder to your students; applicants should be aware that each
personal statement is compared against a library of personal statements already held by
UCAS and a library of sample statements collected from a variety of websites and other
sources. We know that some students are using and paying for personal statement
services as these are being identified by our Similarity Detection Service. If we find an
application has been copied from another source, we contact the applicant and the
universities and colleges to which the applicant has applied. The universities and colleges
then take any action they consider to be appropriate.
Technical reminder in the lead up to the 15 January deadline
To ensure that we are able to support all users of Apply products, we would like to remind
you to log out of Staff Apply when not in use, rather than allowing the system to time out.
This is essential for the security of data being provided by applicants and yourselves, and
helps us to provide a continual service, especially during periods of high activity in the
application cycle, such as 15 January 2011.
Applicant contact information
Please remind your applicants of the importance in keeping their contact information as up
to date as possible. Key contact information, which can be updated on Track, is the
applicant’s address, home and mobile contact telephone numbers and email address.
Information consultation
The joint HEFCE, Universities UK and GuildHE consultation on public information has been
published on the HEFCE website. It is available from
www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2010/10_31.
Please take this opportunity to provide feedback on the information required by potential
students.
Christmas break
UCAS offices will be closed between 24 December 2010 and 3 January 2011 inclusive
during our Christmas period. All of our web services will operate as usual over this period
with any planned maintenance being detailed on our website. The office will open on 4
January 2011.
The UCAS Guide to getting into University and College
The UCAS Guide to getting into University and College is on schedule for release ‘in mid
January’ and is a must for anyone either considering entering higher education or involved in
the process. An order form was sent in the November monthly mailing which included details
of discounts for those of you preordering copies before Xmas. For further details and to
order, please visit our online bookstore at www.ucasbooks.com or email
publicationservices@ucas.ac.uk.
Do you know the answers to the 12 questions of Christmas?
Please find enclosed our new Christmas card which enables you to give your students the
answers to the UCAS queries most commonly asked across the Christmas holidays and up
to the 15 January UCAS deadline.
The purpose of the card is to let them know where they can go for the answers, and for lots
of other sources of UCAS information, in case they find themselves needing help over the
holiday.There is a list of things you can do to get the message out to your students on the
back of the card. Please pass on the information on the inside of the card to your students
and their parents.
Please go to www.ucas.com/about_us/publicationservices/downloads/12questions.pdf
to download copies for your students.
UCAS events
UCAS Annual Conference for Teachers and Advisers 9 - 10 February 2011
The Belfry Hotel, West Midlands.
Register before 4 January to avoid the VAT increase.
This two-day residential conference will address the impact political changes are having on
higher education (HE) and the increasingly competitive progression paths to HE for future
students. For more information and to register, please visit the website
https://www.ucasevents.com/teachersandadvisers.
Cashing in of AS qualifications
Further to the guidance given in the November 2010 mailing concerning the cashing in of AS
levels, we have attached as appendix A, the original circular sent out in March 2010 by the
then DCSF. We apologise for the fact that this was inadvertently omitted from the November
mailing. The DfE has confirmed that the arrangements referred to in the circular are still
valid.
Third party enclosures
Bursaries made simple – handy leaflet for your HE adviser(s)
The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) has updated its handy bursary leaflet to help HE advisers
in schools and colleges raise awareness of bursaries. The leaflet covers who can get a
bursary, how much bursaries are worth and how students can apply. OFFA has also created
a student-facing bursaries presentation (available in both PowerPoint and PDF formats) for
use in student finance talks. Download both from www.offa.org.uk/publications.
Maastricht University
Included a poster in the mailing advertising their open day on 26 March 2011
If you have any feedback relating to this mailing, please email me at
monthly.mail@ucas.ac.uk.
Finally, I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy New
Year.
Yours sincerely
Andrea Robertson
Director of Customer & Application Services
Revenue generated by advertising is invested by UCAS in order to enhance our applications
services and to keep the cost to applicants as low as possible. UCAS and UCAS Media do
not endorse promotional material from any organisation.
Appendix A
Circular issued by DCSF in March 2010:
Uncashed AS levels
We are changing the way we treat qualifications that are uncashed (not certified). This
primarily affects AS levels. The change has been made to drive up standards through
accurate success rates and improve the quality assurance of providers. It will also ensure
performance funding for AS levels is more accurately linked to AS achievement.
What is changing?
The Success Rate data collected from the 2010/11 academic year will be calculated
according to when the qualifications are due to end (planned end date), regardless of
whether they are cashed in (claimed). Any AS levels that have a one year end date on
either the census or the ILR that are not cashed in will be treated as fails for future
funding and success rates purposes. Allocations for 2010/11 are currently being signed
off with schools and colleges and they will be notified of their 2010/11 funding allocation by
the end of the month. The changes we are bringing in will not affect schools or colleges
2010/11 allocations. Success rate data for qualifications due to end in 2010/11 will be
affected - however that data will not be used for funding purposes until the 2012/13
allocations at the earliest.
What schools and colleges could do
Schools and colleges should therefore be aware of this change at the start of the 2010/11
academic year when advising students and future students of learning aims, allocating
teaching time (planning delivery) and when completing their autumn 2010 census and LRO1
(previously F01) returns.
However, schools and colleges may like to consider cashing in all their AS levels in the
current academic year (2009/10) as good practice although there is no requirement for them
to do so until 2010/11.
As most AS levels are taught and funded over one year, it is expected that the vast majority
of AS levels will be ‘cashed in’ at the end of one years teaching. However, providers are able
to extend AS level teaching over more than one year so as not to disadvantage the few
learners who, due to their personal circumstances or the demands of the curriculum, need
extra time. In these circumstances the provider would enter a Learning planned end date in
the second year to its census or ILR. Any Learning planned end date in the second year
must be entered when the learning first commences on the learning aim in question. This
must remain constant. It is not a rolling date subject to changes. If a learner continues their
study beyond the date planned at the start of the learning aim, this must be reflected in the
learning actual end date field and the learning planned end date must remain unchanged.
Why the change has been made
This change has been made because, in line with every other qualification, it is right that
performance of the provider should be judged, and rewarded, at the end of teaching of a
qualification. Where (as in the majority of cases) AS’s are taught over one year it is right that
the contribution of the provider to the outcomes of students should be assessed at the end of
that period.
Uncashed AS level Q & A
1. Why have you made this change?
This change has been made to drive up standards through accurate success rates and
improve the quality assurance of providers. Also, in line with every other qualification, it is
right that performance of the provider should be judged, and rewarded, at the end of
teaching of a qualification. In the majority of cases AS’s are taught over one year so it is
right that the contribution of the provider to the outcomes of students should be assessed at
the end of that period.
2. This change goes against the spirit of Curriculum 2000
The ‘Qualifying for Success’ reforms, introduced in September 2000, were intended to
encourage young people to study more subjects over two years, while also helping them to
combine academic and vocational study. The new GCE A levels offered candidates the
choice of either modular (staged) or end of course assessment. This change does not go
against either the intention to broaden students’ curriculum or prevent either modular or end
of stage assessment.
3. This change disadvantages learners because it prevents resits
Students can still resit a unit even when the student has claimed the AS award. See the
JCQ guidance Entry, Aggregation and Certification Procedures and Rules at
www.jcq.org.uk/exams_office/entries.
4. This change disadvantages learners because it removes flexibility
This change still allows students the flexibility to choose the subjects that suit them best and
to resit where necessary. If it is deemed in the students best interests to teach the AS level
over two years then that is also permitted, although we would expect this to be in exceptional
circumstances.
There may be some impact on the small number of students who decide to change their
learning aim after cashing in to a similar qualification that shares common modules with their
cashed in qualification. See the answer to question 14 for the implications of this.
5. This change will jeopardise learners’ applications to university
The majority of institutions already cash in the majority of their subjects with no adverse
affect on university applications. Admissions tutors look carefully at the reference provided
by the school or college and do not base their decisions solely on AS level results. Referees
can include in the reference a mitigating statement if the grades achieved are lower than
anticipated or out of character for the student.
6. Why should colleges have to change their practices to fit in with school data
problems?
The reason for this change is not because of school data problems. It is so that all providers
can be quality assured on a comparable basis at the end of one year qualifications. At
present this is not the case. It is in colleges’ best interests to ensure that data is consistent
and comparable for all post-16 providers. It should also save colleges time as they will no
longer have to calculate if an uncashed AS level was a pass or a fail.
7. When would a school or college have to declare whether an AS level is one or two
years?
The school or college should declare the expected end date of the course in the first census
or ILR return after the learner has started the aim (this will most often be the Autumn census
for schools and the LR01 (previously F01) for FE providers). This date should then remain
constant in subsequent census or ILR returns.
8. This will adversely affect students who take maths and further maths A level
qualifications
JCQ have issued detailed guidance about GCE mathematics aggregation rules at:
www.jcq.org.uk/exams_office/entries and click on ‘GCE Maths Rules – guidance for
centres’. These explain that once grades have been issued (through cashing in) units used
towards a qualification award will become locked to that qualification’s group. Units may be
unlocked by re-entering for the AS or A level Mathematics cash-in code. We advise centres
to read the JCQ guidance carefully but, if followed, this change will not adversely affect
maths candidates.
9. If an AS level is deemed to be over two years, then will the AS have to be cashed in
by the end of the second year?
We would expect that an AS level that is taught over two years would still be cashed in at
some point in the second year because otherwise the learner receives no confirmation of the
qualification.
10. How will the outcomes for any AS levels taught over two years, and cashed in the
second year along with the A2, affect my success rates – will I get credit for two
successes?
Where an AS level is taught over and has an end date of two years a success will not be
expected until the end of the two years at which time success for the AS level will be
expected (in the ILR, or from awarding body data for schools) at the same time as a success
for the A2. For the funding position see question 12.
11. When will this change take effect?
This change will take effect for Success Rate data collected in the 2010/11 academic year
and beyond. The implications for this are:
Census or ILR – Any AS level with a one year planned end date of the learning aim (AS
levels taught over one year) must be entered at the start of the learning aim and must be a
valid date (Autumn census return and LRO1 ILR return). This must remain constant. It is
not a rolling date subject to changes. If a learner continues their study beyond the date
planned at the start of the learning aim, this must be reflected in the learning actual end date
field and the learning planned end date must remain unchanged.
Success Rates – Success rates calculated for Framework for Excellence and Minimum
levels of Performance using 2010/11 results will treat any uncashed AS levels as fails.
Funding – The earliest that 2010/11 success rate data will be used in funding allocations will
be 2012/13. Any uncashed AS levels will be treated as fails for success rate and funding
purposes.
However, schools and colleges may like to consider cashing in all their AS levels in the
current academic year (2009/10) as good practice although there is no requirement for them
to do so until 2010/11.
12. If I decide to convert all my AS learning aims into two year courses, and also
teach a full programme of A2s in the second year, my SLN to Learner ratio in the first
year will be halved and my SLN to learner ratio in the second year will be over the cap
of 1.75 SLNs per learner. Will I not therefore lose out on funding across the two year
period?
This is correct but funding colleagues in the LSC/YPLA/SFA are looking into this.
Nevertheless, we would not expect all AS learning aims to be converted into two-year
courses, this is expected to be the exception rather than the norm.
13. Will I be able to change/correct my data?
Corrections to data should be made in cases where errors have been made in previous ILR
or census returns. However data should not be altered simply to improve / increase a
provider’s success rates (eg by changing expected end dates).
14. This will adversely affect students who switch between qualifications that share
common modules for example, from biology to human biology (or vice versa) GCE
qualifications.
The detailed rules for common modules that can be used for different qualifications are
explained in Appendix 4 of the JCQ guidance GCE examinations Entry, Aggregation and
Certification Procedures and Rules which can be found at:
www.jcq.org.uk/exams_office/entries and click on ‘GCE Entry, Aggregation and
Certification – Procedures and Rules (includes Transfer of Credit information)’.
If a student wishes to transfer to a different qualification that shares common modules with
their original learning aim after cashing in then the common modules must be re-taken. It is
therefore very important that students are given comprehensive information, advice and
guidance before commencing their AS level of study to make sure that the learning aim they
are following is the learning aim that they want to cash in.
15. Are there any circumstances under which a one-year end date can be altered to a
two-year end date (eg if a learner suffers difficult personal circumstances during year
one of an AS level, which had a planned end date of one year)?
The expected end date of a learning aim should not be altered once it has been declared in
the census or ILR returns.
If you have any questions that have not been answered by this briefing, please send them
to: uncashed.qualifications@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk.