The government has been forced to fund hundreds of extra places on medical and dental courses at universities in England, as rampant grade inflation unleashed by cancelling exams has meant unexpectedly high numbers of students qualified. An admissions officer told the Guardian: “We are seeing roughly one grade of grade inflation compared to last year.” If repeated nationwide this would outstrip the 2020 A-level grade inflation that saw the proportion of A*s and As awarded double in several subjects. In 2019 there were 8,340 places taken and the government had already announced an extra 450 for this year. Medical schools face the greatest difficulties if they make too many offers because the government sets a hard cap on the numbers of students each can accept. We’ve developed a new school which we built with growth in mind.”The Medical Schools Council, which represents the UK’s 41 medical schools, declined to comment.

Source: The Guardian August 05, 2021 18:29 UTC