Pressure for a reform of A levels has led to a surge in support for rival qualifications.

With a record crop of A-level results expected today, one of Britain’s leading examination boards has said that it will introduce a new exam in dozens of schools from next month with a view to offering it nationally from next year.

The new “AQA Bacc”, from the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, is designed to offer sixth-formers a broader range of studies than A levels so that university admissions staff can select the brightest students for their most popular courses.

A big criticism of the A-level system is that so many students get A grades it is impossible to tell the really brilliant from the merely well-drilled.

In response, many universities have introduced their own admissions tests to identify the top candidates, and the Government has promised to introduce a new A* grade at A level from next year for students gaining 90 per cent or more.

With the AQA baccalaureate, students will still study three A levels but will take a further paper in critical thinking, citizenship or general studies. They will also complete an extended essay, project or thesis designed to show their ability to develop an argument and their writing skills. The new qualification will also highlight any community work they have done.

John Mitchell, director of Qualifications Development and Support at AQA, said: “To achieve this award, students have had to demonstrate planning, research and self-management skills alongside academic ability. In developing such important skills, AQA Bacc students are well placed for progression to further study or employment.”

Results of the first students to take the new qualification, in a trial at Farnborough Sixth Form College, will be published today. John Guy, the college’s principal, said: “The extended project has encouraged students to undertake real research in an area above and beyond their A levels, providing evidence of real stretch and challenge.”

The AQA’s decision to bring in a new qualification follows growing interest in the highly academic international baccalaureate (IB), which the Government has supported. Last year Tony Blair said that more state schools would offer the IB to ensure that students could choose the courses that best met their individual abilities and needs.

The IB offers a much broader curriculum, in which students study a range of seven subjects rather than just the traditional three for A levels. The number of schools offering the IB in Britain has doubled in the past decade and is expected to reach 100 by 2010.

Growing numbers of private schools are also expressing an interest in the rival Pre-U qualification, which is being developed in Cambridge. Due to be taught from next year, the Pre-U will involve a return to final exams after two years, rather than the “bite-sized” modules of A levels.

Support for the new exams reflects growing concern among university admissions officers about grade inflation at A level. A survey of 56 universities, published yesterday, found that nearly 40 per cent of admissions officers thought the Government’s decision to back the IB was an acknowledgement that it is a better preparation for university than A levels.

Last night the Liberal Democrats called for an independent review of exam standards. Jim Knight, the Schools Minister, accused them of trying to undermine young people.

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