Exam Recognition
RGT exams have been allocated UCAS (university entrance) points. Andrew Hatt reports…
Following on from the accreditation of LCM/RGT grade exams by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Central Admissions Service. UCAS has recently revised its Tariff – the points scoring system reporting A-level achievements to Higher Education institutions.
The new Tariff aims to accommodate a far wider scope of qualifications than the previous system and, in a very significant move, UCAS has incorporated accredited music examinations into the scheme.
This means that students are awarded UCAS points for attaining advanced level LCM/RGT qualifications (grades 6, 7 and 8). This is a significant development that gives the qualifications enormous 'added value' and makes sitting LCM/RGT examinations even more worthwhile for students who are considering progressing to higher education.
Points System
A sliding scale of points has been allocated to Pass, Merit and Honours at grades six, seven and eight. The ruling applies both to practical and theory examinations, although more points are allocated to the practical exams. For example, an Honours pass at grade 8 will attain 75 points, a Merit 70 points and a Pass 55 points, whereas for theory the points would be 30, 25 and 20 respectively.
To give you a comparison, points awarded for AS-levels range from 20 to 60 depending on the grade achieved, while A-level passes earn between 40 and 120 points. Points for the highest LCM/RGT grade the student has attained will be added to those allocated for A-levels and AS-levels.
Not Just Music
For Higher Education music courses, practical music grades are already, of course, a significant factor in the application process. Therefore, it is probably for students applying to read non-music courses that this change will be most significant, as for the first time the value of music education grades will be recognised across all subject areas. In practical terms this could mean that gaining grade 6 bass guitar, or grade 8 electric guitar might be the crucial factor in enabling a student to gain a university place reading, for example, geography, maths or history.
This is a fantastic recognition by the mainstream education system that our graded exams are of real educational worth; it is a recognition that just as much learning and dedication is required to gain an advanced grade in electric or bass guitar as is required to study for the more traditional academic subjects.
In addition, feedback from students already suggests that university admissions staff often look favourably on musicians, as they are generally considered to be well-organised and well-focused. Interviewed for Music Teacher magazine, Cardiff University's music admissions tutor, David Wyn Jones, said: "On a broader front I would hope that colleagues in other disciplines across the country would welcome the presence of music grade exams as an indication of motivation, self-discipline, personal assurance and emotional intelligence."
Spread The Word
The allocation of UCAS points to LCM/RGT examinations has been made possible by their incorporation into the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is a result of accreditation by the QCA. We are delighted to have received this significant recognition of our work both from QCA and UCAS.
Please pass on the good news to your students, and make sure that they
are aware of the new extra benefits of studying with you for their LCM/RGT
grades. More information about the UCAS Tariff can be found on the RGT website:
UCAS
Points Calculator.
