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Year 11 and choices...

We're devoting a second blog to the choices facing year 11 this week, as it's such a critical time and year 11 marks a turning point - the end of compulsory schooling. So - if you're year 11 or you have a relative who's in that year, read on...

In the sixties, going to University or Polytechnic was something you aspired to; university blazers (hard to believe, isn't it?) were worn with pride, the only choices for post-16 education were the sixth forms attached to Grammar schools and getting into a sixth form was the real battle. There were no GCSEs, of course; then, only the GCE and CSE existed, the GCE for the 'brainy' top 10% and the CSE for the rest. They were also based on final examinations; two, two-hour papers, sat in stifling heat in June in a school hall or gym, with the results being mailed out to your home some eight weeks later.

With the advent of coursework, less rigorous subject demands and league tables, which have forced teachers to circumvent Government insistence on pupils being able to read and write at least moderately, pass rates have been rising, year on year. We said yesterday that exams are just as hard - but we only meant A level. GCSEs have become progressively easier to pass for years, and mainly through two factors: coursework and content. Because coursework is done 'out of sight' of the teacher, cunning ways of circumventing the rules are widely employed, whilst coursework also favours girls, who delight in precision, neatness and methodical presentation. The upshot of all this is that not to pass your GCSE is something you have to work at; you can get marks simply by turning up and writing your name on a paper. The brighter candidates, of course, now routinely garner a dozen A*s, and the entire experience has become devalued in the rush to make everyone feel good about themselves.

All this has a knock-on effect, however; as potential uni students are now discovering, there are so many with an A in the A level results, that even they are now having to fight hard to get into any of the top ten universities.

So how do you decide whether to stay at your present school or move to another school or the college?

Stay or change?

The arguments are pretty straightforward, but not so easy if you already attend somewhere like Eirias High, so we'll deal with them first. Alone of all the secondary schools in the Colwyn Bay and Llandudno area, Eirias is entirely up-front about their results. This is because they can afford to be. Their results are - to put it simply - always excellent, and they routinely get more into the top ten universities than any other school. This makes your choice tough, because - if you want to study at a place which has a proven track record of outstanding success in the crucial year 13 - you really need to stay at Eirias.

For those at all the remaining schools, the arguments for staying or moving fall into two categories:

• Social
• Academic

In the first category, moving to a new school or the college means you make new friends, you're almost certainly treated differently, and your experience is widened. You also encounter different structures and ways of working, and this can be very useful later in life.

In the second category, some places offer different types of examination. For example, the College mounts the International Baccalaureate, an examination course which is held in great esteem by universities across Europe while Ysgol Bryn Elian runs the home-grown version - the Welsh Baccalaureate. Both these examination courses offer a real alternative to the traditional A level approach and are worth exploring. However, as we've said earlier, treat with caution any place that doesn't publish their results in full. That needs some explanation.

How to read results (from the places that actually publish them)

With results, Schools become masters at obfuscation. So what should you be looking for? Very simply, the percentages that got the top grades: at A level, that's A, B and C. Forget the rest. At GCSE, they should state the percentages that gained A*, A and B grades. Watch out for phrases like "almost 100% gained a pass". That's as close to meaningless as it's possible to get. Why? Because it can mean that the entire cohort gained E grades at A level and nothing higher, which takes some doing, especially when you realise that all schools will generally try to ease out students who are clearly not gong to make the grade.

So look for results, research the subjects offered and talk to a lot of different people, then talk to the place you want to attend before enrolment day. And good luck!