Cambridge rejects Gove`s A-level reform plans

Sixth-formers usually take four or five AS-levels in the first year, before specialising in A2s in the second year.

Michael Gove wants to return to one set of exams after two years to revive what he calls the "art of deep thought".

Modular A-levels have been criticised as easier than the traditional variety.

Some said their modular nature had broken up the coherence of a course, limiting teachers` ability to ensure a thorough understanding of a subject.

Announcing plans to change the system earlier this month, Mr Gove said universities had complained that A-levels were not preparing students sufficiently well and that he wanted them to be more academically rigorous.

The criticism from Cambridge is the latest setback for Mr Gove, who has been under intense pressure over his decision to axe the Building Schools for the Future programme and his proposed academies legislation.

In his letter, seen by the TES, Mr Parks warns that "admissions tutors in Cambridge have read with interest and a degree of anxiety the reports of your recent comments about A-level reform".

He describes the AS-level as an "invaluable indicator of progress" that helps decide admissions when many applicants are predicted top grades.

It is a central part of the university admissions process as results are obtained before offers are made, he says.

The letter, sent to Mr Gove and his ministerial education colleagues and copied to Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, says: "We are worried... that if AS-level disappears, we will lose many of the gains in terms of fair admissions and widening participation that we have made in the last decade."

The letter says that the grades obtained provide a better guide to future performance of students as Cambridge undergraduates than other methods of selection, such as GCSE results -­ which are "nowhere near as reliable" - or aptitude tests.

Mr Parks adds that the proportion of Cambridge places awarded to students from the state sector and other "underrepresented groups" had risen in recent years.

"We are convinced that a large part of this success derives from the confidence engendered in students from non-traditional backgrounds when they achieve high examination grades at the end of year 12," he writes.

A Department for Education spokesman said there was a need to restore confidence in public exams.

"We welcome Cambridge University`s views on the A-level and look forward to working with them and other universities to ensure these vital exams are robust and rigorous and properly prepare students for higher education.

"It is right that in doing this we should consider the effect that splitting courses into modules has had both on results and on the exams` continuing fitness for purpose.

"Nothing has been decided on changes yet and we shall set out detailed next steps on reform later this year."