Results day beckons with over 95% of Jersey students expected to make the grade

Thursday 14 August 2014

Nearly 500 students getting A-Level results in Jersey today will be going off to university.

Less than 5% of pupils at secondary schools in Jersey fail to get the grades they need, with some schools having just one pupil per year who doesn’t achieve the level they expected.

Ben Sandeman, Education Liaison Officer at Careers Jersey, said: “Jersey students tend to work very hard and the majority meet their grade requirements and go to the university of their choice to do courses which they have been researching for months.

“Most secondary schools might have just three to five students who don’t make the grade they were hoping for, and some may have as few as one in perhaps 80 who don’t.”

Last year’s overall pass rate for A-Levels in Jersey was 99.4%, just a fraction less than in 2012, when it was 99.5%.

Jersey consistently outperforms England at A-Levels, with 59.1% of students in the Island getting A star, A or B grades, compared to 52.8 % in England.

Mr Sandeman said: “There are lots of opportunities for students in Jersey and the number going into higher education is much higher than the national average. Students here can see the jobs on offer in the island and can see that higher education is a good move for their careers.

“Recruiters find it easier to place graduates than school leavers; not just in finance but also in digital businesses and marketing. Students who can offer employers a balance of academic achievements plus work experience are perceived as a lower than those with purely academic achievements.”

For those students who don’t get the grades they hoped for, there are lots of options, and advisors from Careers Jersey will be available for the rest of the summer to help students work out a plan.

Mr Sandeman said: “If a student doesn’t get the grades they were counting on, the first thing to do is to speak to their school careers tutor, who will be on hand when the results are released. They should then contact the university and find out if they will still take them, as universities can sometimes drop one or two grades for a student.

“The next option is clearing through UCAS, which goes on until 30 September but once a place is gone, it’s gone, so students should get in quick.

“If anyone need independent advice they can come to us. There are lots of options for students, whether that’s re-sitting exams, taking a gap year or getting some work experience.”