A TEACHING union has urged universities to take into account disruption faced by pupils during the pandemic amid fears of a lack of places.
As thousands of pupils today receive A-level results, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) also says grades are expected to be lower than in 2021, but higher than pre-pandemic years.
Following the return to in-person exams this year after tests were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing disruption caused by coronavirus, more than 25,000 pupils across Northern Ireland will today get their A-level and AS grades.
For many, this year was their first experience of external examinations with several mitigations put in place to allow for disruption faced during their studies.
But young people will be competing for fewer university places than in previous years with fears that competition will be fiercer than before.
With the number of places at some universities falling by half over the last two years, there are warnings that some students could miss out.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said universities need to consider the issues faced over the last two years.
"They have experienced large amounts of disruption due to Covid throughout their courses and have worked hard with their schools’ support to achieve today’s results," he said.
"For many students receiving results today, these will have been the first formal national exams they have ever taken. We know from our members just how resilient and tenacious pupils have been in meeting the challenges facing them.
"It is important for everyone to remember that some students and some schools will have experienced more disruption due to the pandemic than others, so results should be seen within a personalised context. That said, students should be able to feel confident this year that where those results rely on performance in exams, they have been marked and graded consistently across all centres and all students."
He added that results would not be comparable with previous years.
"We are expecting results overall to be lower than in 2021, but higher than in pre-pandemic years. This year is a transition period following two years of significant disruption and no exams. Flexibility and understanding must be shown.
"Universities and all onward routes for training, employment and further education should take into account the realities of students’ experiences and work with them to get them on the right courses and paths for their futures."
