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Written question asked by James Clappison (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 May 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 June 2008. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Wednesday, 11 June 2008 on behalf of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Higher Education: Medicine

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which university medical schools admitted students aged under 21 years for training leading to qualifications as a doctor with less than the equivalent of (a) three Bs at A level, (b) three Cs at A level and (c) three Ds at A level; how many such students were admitted in each year since 2001; and which university medical schools plan to admit students under the auspices of the widening participation scheme.
Answer

[holding answer 2 June 2008]: Several medical schools run schemes to encourage applications from bright students from disadvantaged or non-traditional backgrounds, but data on admissions, costs and student outcomes for these schemes is not collected centrally.Information on the pre-entry qualifications of students entering first degree courses in medicine is shown in Table 1. Comparable figures prior to the 2002-03 academic year are not available.

Table 1: UK Domiciled entrants aged under 21 years, to first degree courses in medicine, by qualifications on entry¹—Based upon UCAS tariff score from A levels from students reporting A level as their highest qualification on entry, 2002/03 to 2006/07: English higher education institutions²
Of which: those with scores equivalent to:
Academic year Entrants with A levels as highest qualification on entry Less than Bs³/300 tariff points Less than 3 Cs4/240 tariff points Less than 3 Ds/180 tariff points
2002/03 3,550 130 55 20
2003/04 3,830 125 35 15
2004/05 4,165 95 45 10
2005/06 4,105 70 25 10
2006/07 3,960 75 30 20
¹ In 2002/03 the UCAS tariff replaced A level scores. The tariff covers a wider range of qualifications though it is
possible to identify those students with the tariff equivalent of 3 grade Bs (300 points), 3 grade Cs (240 points) or 3 grade Ds (180 points). However, tariff score contains an unlimited number of eligible qualifications, not just the student's best three A levels.
² Excluding the Open University.
³ Including students with less than 3 Cs/240 tariff points and less than 3 Ds/180 tariff points.
4 Including students with less than 3 Ds/180 tariff points.
Note:
Figures are on a HESA Standard Registration Populations basis and are rounded to the nearest five.
Source:
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
477 c321W; 207714
Session
2007-08
Related items
Medicine: Education
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Higher education Medicine
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk