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Many of the UK's top universities refuse to recognise the Welsh Government's controversial Welsh Baccalaureate qualification for all of their courses. WalesOnline asked higher education institutions whether they treated the unpopular post-16 qualification as being equivalent to an A-level and the picture was very mixed.

The Welsh Government and exam regulator Qualifications Wales insist the course is equivalent to an A-level but some top Russell Group universities simply don't include the Welsh qualification in their offers at all and demand three A levels. Others will, but not for all courses and some accept it as A level equivalent for all courses.

Earlier this month Rishi Sunak announced plans to change A levels in England so that all pupils would study some form of English and Maths to the end of their time in school. The Welsh Government responded saying the Welsh Baccalaureate covered those ideas already, although the qualification does not include formal Maths or English lessons.

The Welsh Baccalaureate, as it is colloquially known, will be awarded in its current form for the last time in summer 2024. A new version, officially titled the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate has been taught from this term and will be first awarded in 2025 - like the old versions it will be graded A* to E.

There has been controversy since the Welsh Baccalaureate was first introduced that it is a distraction, not as valuable as other A levels and not accepted as such by some universities at all, or on some university courses. There have been several petitions from students to abolish the qualification arguing that they learn nothing from the course they don't already know.

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