Schools could be penalised if students fail to complete their A Levels.

This was the message from Skills Minister, Nick Boles, as he gave evidence to the Select Committee Inquiry on careers advice, information and guidance.

“Currently there is no downside to people dropping out after a year and that is not ideal because in truth the value of the programme is to complete the whole two years,” the Minister said.  “One of the things that we are going to look at is whether we can change that”.

He said it was concerning if students fail to complete A Level programmes which may not be appropriate for them.

The Minister’s comments reflect the introduction of retention rates which will be published in performance tables from this summer – introduced to monitor whether young people are being given suitable education and training opportunities that they see through to completion.

Meanwhile, a recent Which? survey claims that nearly a third of university applicants wished they had chosen different A Level subjects at 16.  Only half of respondents felt suitably informed about how their A Levels could affect their choice of degree or university.