PLANS for a shake-up of university admissions which would involve all students applying for courses after their A-level results have won the support of a senior government adviser.

Steven Schwartz, who is advising the government on ways to widen access, believes the system would encourage youngsters from a broader range of social backgrounds to go to university.

It would give more flexibility by allowing youngsters to apply for courses based on actual, rather than predicted results. Those who got unexpectedly good results would then not be at a disadvantage.

The education secretary, Charles Clarke, has asked for details of how the plans would work in practice, although sources insisted yesterday that he has an "open mind" on the issue.

The government's response will be published in the autumn as part of its wider response to its white paper on higher education, which came out in January. Professor Schwartz, the vice-chancellor of Brunel University, chairs a taskforce on widening access.

News that the proposals are being taken seriously at the highest level of government comes ahead of Thursday's A-level and AS-level results amid concern that there be no repeat of last year's chaos.

Thousands of youngsters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive their results on Thursday, although universities will today start making arrangement for con firmation of offers, having seen them at the weekend.

Fiasco

Allegations of grade fixing last summer led to the upgrading of almost 2,000 students' A-level and AS-level results. Headteachers are warning of the likely flurry of appeals over grades, because of the lack of confidence in the system after last year's fiasco.

As revealed by the Guardian recently, officials at the government's exam regulator, the qualifications and curriculum authority (QCA), are expecting record levels of appeals, particularly from candidates who took exams through the OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA) board which was at the centre of the affair.

The idea of a so-called post-qualifications university admissions system was mooted by Mike Tomlinson, the former chief inspector of schools.

It is controversial, not least because it might trigger reorganisation of the academic year. University admissions tutors are sceptical about the proposals, although headteachers of state and private schools - and the Conservatives - are backing them.

Exam boards like Edexcel, which are exploring new technology to mark scripts more quickly and efficiently, believe it will soon be feasible to bring results announcements forward.

The shadow education secretary, Damian Green, said: "Making university applications after you know your A-level grades is clearly fairer both for the student and the university. This may involve taking A-levels a month or so earlier, or moving the start of the university year to January."

The plans are also strongly supported by student leaders. Chris Weavers, vice-president (education) of the National Union of Students, said: "We strongly back these proposals and think they will allow students to make a much better, informed decision on the basis of actual, rather than predicted results."

This year headteachers are expecting another improvement in the pass rate - the 20th consecutive annual rise - and yesterday began the fightback against critics by declaring that commentators who claim that A-levels are being dumbed down should be treated with "disdain".

In an article for PA News, the school standards minister, David Miliband, said no one believed it had become easier to run a marathon when Paula Radcliffe broke the women's record.

"Yet, perversely, how differently we will treat the achievements of thousands of A-level and GCSE candidates who will receive their results over the next 10 days," he said.

Meanwhile, the head of the QCA, Ken Boston, said last night that schools should be free to drop GSCEs for 16-year-olds if they wished.

Reacting to an intention of Eton College to drop GCSEs and go straight to AS-levels and A-levels, Dr Boston told the Times that other schools were free to follow: "That's a matter for the headteachers to determine. There is no requirement that everyone must take three examinations in three consecutive years." Tweet