Sitting A-levels in January to end in attempt to curb 'resit culture' Ofqual says plans to end January sittings for A-levels have been welcomed by higher education institutions as well as schools and colleges. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA The first stage in a planned shakeup of A-levels will end the option of taking exams in January in an attempt to curb a "resit culture" where pupils sit papers on the assumption they will always get another chance, the exams watchdog has announced. In the most significant initial change to the qualification following a three-month consultation into the future of A-levels, Ofqual announced that pupils in England starting A-level and AS-level courses from September will only be able to sit exams in June. This is the first part of a wider proposed change to the system of pre-university qualification, which could eventually see them take on many of the characteristics of the international baccalaureate (IB) system. Other proposals, such as more involvement from universities in the design of the qualifications, and broader changes to the structure of the exams, are still being considered, Ofqual said. But there was opposition to the idea of universities approving particular A-levels over others. Glenys Stacey, Ofqual's chief regulator, said the consultation process - which received almost 1,000 responses - found broad support for some changes, notably summer-only exams. She said: "The consultation followed on from Ofqual's research into perceptions of A-levels. This showed that the qualifications are considered to be largely fit for purpose but that there were some structural changes that could be made to improve them. There were also concerns expressed by teachers, employers and universities over what they term a resit culture. Teachers in particular said that A-level students approach examinations with the expectation that they will always get a second chance. Stacey added: "Making improvements in these key areas is what this first phase is about and it has been widely welcomed by higher education and by many schools and colleges. The next phase will consider further structural changes to strengthen the A-level, how higher education will be involved in A-levels, and content changes where stakeholders deem that they are necessary. The majority of the consultation responses came from schools and colleges but also universities, exams boards and other higher education groups. Last month, the education secretary, Michael Gove, announced plans for an IB-style system for A-levels that would emphasise broader knowledge - with, for example, arts subjects balanced by maths or a science - and the introduction of 5,000-word dissertations for some. One idea has been for universities taking a role in developing A-levels. In an earlier Ofqual document, published in June, it was proposed that exam boards could be obliged to show that each of its A-level qualifications had the backing of at least 20 UK universities, including 12 leading institutions. This idea met with opposition from representative group for universities as well as the Association of School and College Leaders. The consultation process found support for higher education involvement in the design of A-levels, but not for particular universities "endorsing" certain A-levels at the expense of others. A report on the consultations into this issue concluded: "There were commonly held fears that, without a co-ordinating group/body for an A-level subject, a hierarchical system of A-levels would arise based on which universities endorsed a particular subject and/or specification within a subject. Stakeholders felt strongly that this development would reduce equality of access for students to the full range of universities, and the students most severely affected would be those without access to informed advice about which A-levels/specifications are required for their preferred courses.