Sciences 'a whole grade harder' than arts subjects at A-level
Arts subjects are so easy at A-level that achieving an A grade is the equivalent of getting just a B in a science subject, according to research published today.
Analysis of nearly a million exam results shows that A-level subjects like physics, chemistry and biology are three quarters of a grade more difficult than English, RE or business studies - and a whole grade tougher than 'soft' subjects such as drama, sociology or media studies.
The imbalance began in the 1970s, the study said.
Unequal challenge: A-levels have been easier for arts students since the 1970s, researchers claim
Academics fear the modern trend has made students more likely to choose 'easy' subjects and less likely to opt for the science subjects desperately needed to make Britain an innovative industrial leader.
They have called for a different marking system for the 'harder' subjects - perhaps introducing a scaling system so that some subjects are acknowledged to be worth more than others.
The analysis contradicts a February report by the exams regulator, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which found that while some exams may be harder than others, all subjects were broadly in line and no immediate action was needed to even things out.
The new report's author, Dr Robert Coe of Durham University, said: 'I can't see how anyone could claim that all A-levels are equally difficult.
'This research shows that science and technology subjects are much more severely graded than subjects like media studies and art.'
Dr Coe warned: 'If universities and employers treat all grades as equivalent they will select the wrong applicants. A student with a grade C in biology will generally be more able than one with a B in sociology, for example.
'The current system provides a disincentive to schools to promote take up of sciences while league tables treat all subjects as equal.
'It also puts pressure on students to take particular subjects which may not be best educationally.'
Dr Coe's team compared data for nearly one million schoolchildren sitting GCSE and A-level exams and also reviewed the conclusions of 28 different cross-subject comparison studies carried out in the UK since 1970.
The findings, published in a report commissioned by the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society on behalf of Score (Science Community Representing Education), come three years after the Government vowed to curb the rapid decline in students taking physics, chemistry and maths.
Between 1991 and 2005 figures show the numbers of students sitting A-level physics dropped by more than a third.
