The announcement yesterday that the government would no longer be scrapping GCSEs in favour of new English Baccalaureate Certificates (EBCs) follows increasing disquiet in recent weeks over  proposed education reforms, which are still set to affect the current A-Level system.

Education Secretary Michael Gove had announced sweeping changes to the current GCSE exam format – with a focus on “core” academic subjects – to be introduced from September 2015 for English, maths and science. It was announced that GCSEs would remain, but major changes to the qualification would go ahead, with modular testing kept to a minimum, less emphasis on coursework and extended essay questions.

Reacting to the decision, the vice-president of the National Union of Students (NUS), Toni Pearce, said: “Michael Gove's climb down is a victory for the alliance of students, parents, and teachers which steadfastly opposed his past their sell-by-date proposals. These plans would have created a narrow and unbalanced curriculum at just the time we need a flexible and open approach.

"The Education Secretary's attempt to relegate high quality creative and vocational subjects to a non-essential second tier smacked of his 1950s prejudices rather than the long-term interests of today's young people.”

Opponents of proposed changes to A-levels will hope that the government will perform a similar U-turn. Last month Gove announced controversial plans for sixth-form pupils to take one final exam at the end of the two-year course, with the AS exam becoming a standalone qualification. The University of Cambridge voiced its strong opposition to these changes, with 40 academics from the University – including the admissions director, Dr Mike Sewell – signing an open letter to The Daily Telegraph in protest of the new proposal.

"Good results give students from all backgrounds the confidence to compete for a place at highly selective universities, including our own,” the letter read. “They reduce reliance upon grade predictions and enable schools to hold the line in the face of pressure to raise predicted grades unrealistically."

"AS marks are the best indicator of a student’s success at Cambridge. They enable us properly and fairly to assess applications. Neither GCSEs nor admissions tests come close to matching the effectiveness of AS marks in this regard. If AS-levels disappear, university entry will become less fair.”

It had been reported that the University would bring back entrance exams in response to the changes to the A-level system. However, speaking to Varsity, Dr Sewell said that the University currently has “no firm plan” in place.

He said: "What is clear is that the disappearance of externally moderated Year 12 examinations as proposed would reduce significantly the ability of students to make well-informed choices of universities to which to apply, [and] would mean that some students may not apply here without the reassurance that a strong set of AS results gives”. Since the introduction of AS-levels under Curriculum 2000 under Tony Blair’s government, Dr Sewell notes, applications to Cambridge have risen from 10,000 to 16,000.

A spokesman for the University added: "Detailed selection criteria vary from subject to subject but in all we are looking for academic ability and potential; motivation and suitability for the chosen course; and commitment and self-discipline. Every applicant is considered individually in a holistic assessment using all the information available to us.”

"Ultimately, all admissions decisions are based on academic criteria. Without the AS-level, universities are left to rely on GCSEs – which are already over a year out of date by the time students apply to university, and taken at a point of less academic maturity – or on teachers' predictions, around 50 per cent of which are inaccurate by around one or two A-levels grades according to research by UCAS.”

It is also argued that the current system offers greater breadth, with most sixth-form pupils taking AS-level exams in four subjects and many Cambridge applicants taking five subjects in year 12.

The University had already voiced disquiet over A-level reforms in a letter to Michael Gove in 2010, although it was noted that there were shared “concerns about certain aspects of the current A-level system” including “the academic or technical content of some subjects, and the lack of synoptic assessment at AS-level.” Under current plans, the Russell Group will set up an academic board to advise the examinations watchdog Ofqual on the content of A-levels in maths, science, languages, geography, history and Classics.

Many within the student body have echoed Sewell’s concerns. CUSU President Rosalyn Old noted that "Michael Gove has united schools, private schools, exam boards, universities and business leaders against his attack on fair access to higher education. Cambridge's usual caution about challenging Government policy makes the University's categorical statement of opposition all the stronger."

"Government spin-doctors are pretending that the Russell Group - of which Cambridge is a leading member - has agreed to go along with his plan. This is false, but they are considering doing so. Students will not stand for the University allowing the Russell Group to undermine our access work in this way”, she added, “and we look forward to confirmation that Cambridge has vetoed it."