Investigating the Comparability of A' level Subjects as a Basis for University Selection in Uganda

Abstract

In order to gain access to universities in Uganda, all students sit a national examination at the end of A ‘Level, the scores of which determine their selection. For most university degree programmes, entry is determined based on the A ‘Level scores irrespective of subject, essentially implying that the same scores in the different subjects are comparable. In order to investigate this comparability, a generalised partial credit item response model was fit to the A ‘Level examination results data for the years 2009 and 2010. As was expected, it was found that science subjects were relatively more difficult than non-science subjects; however, it was also found that science and non-science subjects load on two separate dimensions of the latent ability scale, and that further, science subjects generally provided more information on student ability, especially for the higher end of the ability scale. Conversely, some humanities subjects like Art and Kiswahili were not only relatively easier, they also provided very little information on the ability scale underlying all the A ‘Level subjects. These findings present a challenge to the justifiability of using A ‘Level scores indiscriminately in the university selection process, and advocates for the integration of information on subject difficulty in an enhanced weighting system.