Each autumn, teachers spend many hours writing references in
support of their pupils’ university applications, and university admissions
tutors subsequently spend many hours reading them. Indeed, the official advice
is that when there are more qualified applicants than can be accommodated, or
when applicants’ suitability for professions is being assessed, admissions staff
should consider "additional information, including references". The pressure to
widen access has brought us to the point where references axe hardly worth the
paper they are written on. Of come, some applicants’ results may not do them
justice and will not therefore be an accurate predictor of future achievement.
However, the almost total absence of anything but positive comments makes it
impossible to distinguish between such applicants and those for whom higher
education may be a step too far. It is the same story with
access courses, which provide an opportunity for those who left school without
qualifications to develop their confidence and study skills. Not all access
students will be able to achieve a higher education qualification, but I cannot
recall one who was not predicated by his or her access tutor to pass with flying
colors and be an ideal candidate for higher education. Taking up referees’
invitations to contact them for more information, in the hope that this may
indicate that they are wishing to say something they are not prepared to write,
rarely proves fruitful. I am repeatedly told that they are "not free to talk",
or they express discomfort at being asked for specific information. "I’m sure
you see how difficult it is for me", "I don’t really know her that well" and "I
rather wish you hadn’t asked me that" are among the most common
responses. Even university tutors are overstating the truth. One
stated that an applicant had "gained passed in four modules and then decided to
leave the course". Further inquiry revealed that he, and another who "came to
the view that teaching was not for her", both left because they had failed. I
also suspect that the student who "has many skills and qualities that,
unfortunately, are not easily demonstrable through our system of academic
assessment" was heading in a similar direction. If a pupil has "faced the
challenge of A4evel work", is he or she rising to it or not This is like trying
to communicate in an unfamiliar language. Since in most cases we cannot
establish what is meant, let us abandon the whole system of academic references
for university entry and save us all the time and effort. The intent to get more information from referees is always ______.