Against a national trend of declining A level results Dudley Sixth College students are once more celebrating, with a 100% overall pass rate in 24 of the 29 A level subjects offered at the college.  With Dudley students passing at a higher rate than their counterparts in the rest of England as 18 of the 29 subjects achieved a higher pass rate at A-C than the national average. But even more impressively 44% of all entries were achieved at high grades (A* -B) and 72% of all entries A*-C.

The national picture suggests there has been a fall in the total number of learners who have secured the top grades of A and A*, as awarding bodies have sought to return grades to pre-pandemic levels.  UCAS the university admissions service says that thousands of learners may have missed securing higher grades in comparison to the previous year. To get back to 2019 levels the percentage of A*s has fallen from 14.6% last year to 7.8% and are much lower than the highest point of 2021 when 45% of all grades were A or A*. 

Celebrating with learners today College Chief Executive and Principal Neil Thomas said: “I’m delighted to see many students performing at this level and getting the grades they deserve. For many of them this is the first time they have sat formal examinations, so it is a mark of their hard work and that of their teachers they have done so well.” 

Ben France, Curriculum Manager for Dudley Sixth said: “Every one of our students who has contributed to these amazing results, will tell you A levels are very demanding requiring a breadth and a depth of knowledge in each subject. So, I’m pleased that so many of them have achieved the grades they needed to secure their places at top universities.  I am particularly pleased that this year we have seen a very strong performance with all entries in a range of subjects including Economics, further maths and Media studies achieving A* to C.  And our performance in Science Technology Engineering and Maths subjects (STEM) was consistent with the last three years achieving 100% pass rate in Biology and Chemistry and 97% in Physics.”

Commenting on the national trend of what appears to be a deliberate suppression of top grades by awarding bodies, Ben said: “I do believe it was too soon to remove all the mitigations that were extended to learners impacted by Covid especially as those concessions have continued in Wales, Scotland and Ireland, so it is especially pleasing that so many learners have done so well.”

Particular success stories included: Damil Imran (aged 17) who is an ex-George Salter Academy student now plans to go to the University of Birmingham to study for a degree in Computer Science, with the ambition of pursuing a career in Tec Industry having achieved an A in Physics and Computer Science and an A* in Advanced mathematics. Commenting on his time at Dudley Sixth he said: “I was supported by tutors throughout my studies, and I was impressed by the maths department who helped me all the way to achieving my A*.”

Evie Jaques (aged 17) from Beacon Hill Academy and Kamil Gustaite (aged 18) will both be going on to university places after obtaining a clutch of high grades. With Evie achieving 2 As and a B in Biology Environmental Science and Chemistry allowing her to move to the University of Birmingham to study Chemistry.  Whilst Kamil will take up a place at the University Durham to study Classics after achieving an A in History and two Bs in English and Psychology. Commenting on her experience at college Evie said: “I’m grateful to my tutors for all of their encouragement and to my classmates for the fun we had whilst studying. I had lots of one-to-one time with my tutors which I really found valuable.”  

Whilst Kamil noted: “I did feel the pressure especially not having taken exams before so I’m super delighted to have done so well. I’m the first person in my family to go to university, so it’s a big day for me.”

Dudley College is currently taking applications for September admission in A Level and vocational subject. Higher education courses are also available at the college.  Students who are interested in joining should telephone 0800 783 6095 for further information or visit www.dudleycol.ac.uk  

To view pictures from the day visit: A Level Results Day 2023 | Flickr.