Three-fold rise in schools offering alternative GCSE exam

The number of schools rejecting GCSEs in favour of alternative exams modelled on the old O-level has more than tripled in just three years, the Telegraph has learnt.

Record numbers of pupils will sit the International GCSE this year.

Almost 2,700 secondary schools now offer the International GCSE – originally established for children overseas – amid fears over falling standards in mainstream qualifications.

It is believed that around six-in-10 state and private schools across the UK are teaching the course in at least one subject.

Learning languages is a foreign concept to today’s youngsters

By not taking A-levels in French and German, pupils are missing out on one of life’s great pleasures

The number of pupils taking A-levels in French and German has plummeted to a record low

Yesterday’s shock-horror report that the young, faced with options of all kinds, are shying away from foreign languages is sad but unsurprising.

Figures show that the number of pupils taking A-levels in French and German has fallen to a record low – there has been almost a 50 per cent decline over the last decade – and interest even in Mandarin and Arabic has dropped.

Toughening up of GCSEs puts 200 schools at closure risk

At least 200 secondary schools are at risk of closure after falling below minimum GCSE targets amid a toughening up of exams for 16-year-olds.

More schools could be at risk of closure because of a toughening up of GCSEs.

Figures to be published next week are likely to show a decline in the number of pupils given good grades in tests for the second year running.

In 2012, some 69.4 per cent of GCSE papers were graded A* to C compared with 69.8 per cent a year earlier. It was the first drop in the qualification’s 25-year history.

Private schools attack 'crude' university access targets

Top universities are discriminating against private school pupils by engineering admissions in favour of teenagers from the state system, according to the head of Britain’s biggest independent schools group.

Barnaby Lenon, head of the ISC, has criticised the use of admissions targets by universities such as Cambridge.

Institutions are attempting to drive down recruitment from the fee-paying sector to satisfy Government demands for a more socially-balanced student body, it is claimed.

Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, said the creation of specific targets that discriminate between state and private school pupils were “wrong” and actually risked favouring affluent children from “middle-class comprehensives”.

Private schools attack 'crude' university access targets

Top universities are discriminating against private school pupils by engineering admissions in favour of teenagers from the state system, according to the head of Britain’s biggest independent schools group.

Barnaby Lenon, head of the ISC, has criticised the use of admissions targets by universities such as Cambridge.

Institutions are attempting to drive down recruitment from the fee-paying sector to satisfy Government demands for a more socially-balanced student body, it is claimed.

Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, said the creation of specific targets that discriminate between state and private school pupils were “wrong” and actually risked favouring affluent children from “middle-class comprehensives”.

Hackers attempt to sabotage Ucas system

Computer hackers tried to sabotage the Ucas website just hours before thousands of students received their A’ Level results.

Withington Independent Girls School pupils receive their A level exam results in Manchester

The official admissions body, which is responsible for processing exam grades and organising the clearing system of university and college places, admitted that the “criminal and sustained” attempt to crash the site could have caused huge disruption.

Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of Ucas, said: "The incident was contained very, very quickly and no personal data was released to anybody.

Tougher A-levels pass the grade

Record numbers of students claimed places at British universities today after more took the tough A-level subjects seen as a vital gateway to higher education.

students took to Twitter to tell how they have been awarded places despite seemingly falling short of offers.

Data published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service showed that almost 386,000 applicants had been accepted onto courses – up by 31,600 in just 12 months.

Clearing 2013: Russell Group offering 3,000 courses

Almost 3,000 courses were still available at Britain’s best universities today as elite institutions scrambled to recruit more bright students.

Some 3,000 courses have been made available by the Russell Group through clearing.

Two-thirds of members of the elite Russell Group – 16 out of 24 – are advertising degree places through the traditional clearing system.

Courses are being left open to students who may have narrowly missed out on their original offer of a place at another highly sought-after institution.

But many are also likely to be taken by students who want to “trade up” after gaining better than expected A-level grades – shunning their existing course offer.

A-level results 2013: Labour's £540m diploma qualification axed

Labour’s flagship qualification introduced as an alternative to A-levels is to be axed despite almost £540 million of taxpayers’ money spent developing the course.

Labour's Diploma qualification will be axed this year.

Exam boards confirmed that the Diploma would no longer be offered as a standalone qualification from this autumn because of a lack of Government support and dwindling pupil numbers.

Figures show 9,568 pupils aged 14- to 19 sat the course this summer.

Private schools 'preparing to dump A-levels', heads say

Britain’s leading private schools are preparing to abandon A-levels because of controversial reforms to the “gold standard” qualification, headmasters have warned.

International A-levels are winning favour with private schools.

Rising numbers of fee-paying schools could scrap the exam in its current form amid a backlash over changes to way the qualification is run.

As sixth-formers across the country prepare to receive their results tomorrow, it emerged that many heads were considering shifting towards an alternative version of the exam created for schools overseas.