Alps analysis of 2023 client benchmarks - A level WALES SEPTEMBER 2023

Alps analysis of 2023 client benchmarks - A level WALES SEPTEMBER 2023

2023 A Level Results in Wales

Following the release of this years A-level examination results we have analysed the data released by Qualifications Wales alongside the data uploaded to Alps by our schools to help provide you with the key information that we think will be useful at this stage.


Join us for our webinar where we will take you through the following information: https://www.bigmarker.com/alps-education/Alps-Connect-Senior-Leaders-Update-Wales

What do we know so far?

As expected the overall A-level results for students in Wales has returned to a profile that is broadly a mid-point between 2022 and 2019. 



At a subject level results follow a similar pattern with outcomes returning towards that midpoint. The graphs below show the analysis of A* grades, A*-A grades and A*-B grades. There is some variation to the outcomes at subject level, notably German. 









 

MEPs and Client Benchmarks

On the basis that we were anticipating a return to a mid-point outcome profile and we knew that the Year 13 cohort had a higher prior attainment profile than those students in the national benchmark set, we communicated to colleagues in schools during last academic year that we would be generating a Alps school benchmark to support analysis of exam results this summer.

Analysis of Alps schools cohort data submitted to Alps indicates that in line with the uplift in the GCSE results awarded via CDGs in 2020 the prior attainment of learners in the Year 13 cohort this year is higher than that in 2019.




The increase in PA is matched by a shift in PA profile across the Alps PA bands compared with the 2019data set.  From the graph it is worth noting that there is a much higher shift in the proportion of students in the top two PA bands.



As expected when we generated the Minimum Expected Points (MEP) for this cohort and compared it with those in 2019 the MEP was lower across the large majority of PA bands.

The graph below compares the target points required at the 75th percentile across the Alps PA bands.


 Using this information we have now generated Alps Schools A-level benchmarks sets which you can access by the ‘Analysis Settings’ button in your Admin section. Further information on how to change your benchmark comparison set can be accessed in our article:  https://support.alps.education/portal/en/kb/articles/using-the-2023-client-benchmarks-in-connect-june-2023. 

On the basis of the information above it is reasonable to anticipate that your Alps grade from this benchmark set is likely to be different to the one generated from the 2019 benchmark set and in many instances it is likely to be higher but the degree of any changes will be affected by a number of factors including the distribution of learners across your prior attainment bands and your current Alps grade.


Broadly speaking, this is what we found when we moved Welsh schools from the 2019 benchmark to the Welsh client benchmark: 




Year 13 and 12 2023/24 - which benchmark should I use to set MEGs and track progress? 

We advise that you seriously consider using the 2019 national benchmarks to track both Year 13 and Year 12 across 2023/24 as results are due to return to 2019 standards.

We will generate a new client benchmark in the days following the 2024 examination results, and we would expect that you may see your overall grades improve slightly.