A degree of choice - Telegraph It is a nail-biting time for the estimated 300,000 teenagers who are preparing to receive their A-level results on Thursday. Most of them probably hope to go to university, which can be a great career starter and a wonderful life experience. But it is not for everyone. A study by The Student Room website claims to show that 78 per cent of teenagers feel a "huge expectation to attend university." This is partly because the last government set an unhealthy target of getting 50 per cent of all school-leavers on to a degree course. The result was a costly expansion in places, while the purpose and quality of the A-level was distorted and became a stepping stone to a place where some people were not suited to go. Today, we report that some leading universities are cracking down on the multiple exam resits that some students are pressured into taking in order to win their desired place. In one case, a mature student sat the A-level maths modules 29 times. Happily, there are signs that the "university first" culture is starting to change. If A-level results rise this week, it could be because more "practically minded" students have been turning their hand to vocational courses and apprenticeships. Their move is a wise one. Not only will they save themselves the expense of a degree course but they will also benefit from a growing trend among employers towards hiring school-leavers. Businesses such as KPMG, British Airways, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Unilever have confirmed that they will take more school-leavers than last year, while applications for non-graduate training courses are thought to have doubled. That could mean there will be more spaces left to fill during clearing - good news for those who still want to go on to do a degree. Whatever choices those awaiting their results make, we wish them the very best of luck.