A-Level students urged to become entrepreneurs

A-Level students anxiously waiting for exam results today have been urged to abandon university plans and become entrepreneurs.

Thousands of teenagers across the North will discover if they have achieved the grades needed for a passage into higher education.

But the Federation of Small Businesses issued a reminder that they could become their own boss rather than rack up huge debts studying for a degree that could lead to a nine-to-five job.

Wilfred Mitchell, the FSB’s Policy Chairman, said: “After three years of exams, A-Level students can feel like they are on a production line with university and conventional employment the only logical next steps in the process.

“But the world of work has changed significantly over the last few years and young people really do have a choice.

“More and more people are seeing self-employment as the more attractive option.

“Being your own boss is a great aspiration for young people and there is plenty of assistance available to help turn a good idea into reality.

“Entrepreneurship is about seizing new opportunities and taking risks, which is why it is so vital to the economy and what makes it such an exciting career choice.”

Examiners spent the summer marking and grading more than half a million papers, exams body the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has revealed.

With cheating on the rise, the body has warned students to think twice before copying material from the internet or taking mobile phones into exams.

The number of cases of malpractice increased from 47 to 53 in the last year, while three A-Level and GCSE students in the North were disqualified for cheating, it confirmed.

But CCEA Director of Education Services Neil Anderson also praised the efforts of those marking huge numbers of scripts.

He said: “The great majority of our examiners are practising teachers and it is their expertise and dedication we rely upon to ensure Northern Ireland students receive the grades they deserve.

“This summer we have yet again processed more exam scripts in more subjects than ever before.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to the 2,717 individuals who have helped us in setting papers, marking scripts, awarding grades and moderating coursework.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish good luck to the tens of thousands of students who will be receiving results today and over the coming weeks.

“May your hard work be rewarded.”