A100 International Medicine Admissions Statistics

Dear Emilia

Freedom of Information request reference K/21/557

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 17th
December 2021. Your request has been allocated the reference number
K/21/557. Please include this number in all further correspondence related
to your enquiry.  

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Regards

Freedom of Information Officer

University of Leeds

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From: Kaylena Martina <[FOI #817102 email]>
Sent: 17 December 2021 08:06
To: Freedom of Information <[University of Leeds request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - A100 International Medicine
Admissions Statistics
 
Dear University of Leeds,

I am kindly writing to request information regarding A100 international
student statistics.

I'd like to know for the 2020 and 2021 entry years:
1) How many international students were interviewed
2) How many international students were given offers
3) How many international students accepted their offers

I'd like to know for the 2018, 2020, and 2021 entry years:
1) The pre-interview score cutoff  (out of 40) using the mechanism: 27pts
for 8 GCSE's (3pts=A*/9/8 2pts=A/7 1pt=B/6/5), 8pts for A-levels (8pts=AAA
preds/achieved), 5pts BMAT (top 20%=5 pts, 20-40%=4pts, 40-60%=3pts,
60-80%=2pts, bottom 20%=1pt)

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,
Kaylena Martina

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Dear Kaylena,
Freedom of Information Response (Our Ref: K/21/557)
Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 17th
December
2021, reference K/21/557.
Your request read:
"I'd like to know for the 2020 and 2021 entry years:
1) How many international students were interviewed
2) How many international students were given offers
3) How many international students accepted their offers
[4] I'd like to know for the 2018, 2020, and 2021 entry years:
1) The pre-interview score cutoff (out of 40) using the mechanism: 27pts
for 8
GCSE's (3pts=A*/9/8 2pts=A/7 1pt=B/6/5), 8pts for A-levels (8pts=AAA
preds/achieved), 5pts BMAT (top 20%=5 pts, 20-40%=4pts, 40-60%=3pts, 60-
80%=2pts, bottom 20%=1pt)"
The University of Leeds holds some of this information.
1. Number of A100 international students invited to interview:
2020: 19
2021: 20
2. Number of A100 International offers made:
2020: 19
2021: 18
3. Our target quota for international candidates is 19 of the 278 places.
This quota
has been filled in recent years.
4. The University of Leeds holds this information. However, we are
withholding the
information under section 36(2)(c) of the Freedom of Information Act.
Section
36(2)(c) sets out that information is exempt from disclosure if, in the
opinion of the
organisation’s Qualified Person, its release would or would be likely to
otherwise
prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs. We have outlined the
reason for
engaging the exemption below, including an explanation of the public
interest factors
for and against disclosure.
We consider that to release this information would unduly prejudice the
applications
process. It is essential that applicants do not aim for a specific
academic score in an
attempt to unduly influence the process. We consider that releasing the
lowest
‘successful’ academic score would be likely to encourage this behaviour,
and would
therefore jeopardise our ability to objectively judge candidates and make
offers
accordingly. Applications must be made based on the candidates’ individual
merits,
and the process is designed to test not only the applicants’ academic
achievements,
but also a range of wider skills which are required for a career in
medicine. To pre-empt this process would therefore undermine the process
as a whole.
Furthermore, candidates who attempt to ‘learn the test’ or ‘game the
system’ may
well have short term success (i.e. a score sufficient to secure an offer)
but lack the
inherent values and attributes to study medicine. Equally, candidates who
are
determinedly pursuing a particular score may fail to demonstrate their
wider personal
skills, as they are too focussed on ‘the number’ they are trying to
achieve. It is
therefore important to ensure that candidates are offering an honest
account of
themselves throughout the application process; it would be imprudent to
release
information which could increase the likelihood of candidates being
coached to pass
the selection process, only to struggle while on the course, or vice
versa.
As outlined above, to release this information would prejudice the
admissions
process. It would also be likely to unduly damage the prospects of
prospective
applicants to the medicine course; disadvantaging genuinely strong
candidates who
may lose out on places in favour of candidates whose artificially strong
applications
belie poor overall suitability. Accordingly, we are satisfied that
disclosure would be
likely to result in prejudice to the effective conduct of our ordinary
business. It is
therefore the opinion of Professor Simone Buitendijk, the Qualified Person
for the
University of Leeds, that the exemption is engaged.
As the exemption is engaged, it is also necessary to consider whether the
public
interest is in favour of withholding or releasing the information.
There is an extremely strong public interest in maintaining the integrity
of the
admissions process, and in turn protecting the value of the medicine
degree offered
by the University of Leeds. Allowing the admissions process to be
undermined as
outlined above would limit our ability to train and develop future
generations of health
care practitioners and leaders. This would de-value the course, which is
recognised
as being of extremely high quality and is therefore necessarily selective.
This would
not be in the interests of applicants and students, who would suffer as a
result of the
de-valued course. Nor would this be in our interests, as any de-valuing of
the course
would be likely to result in fewer applications, a reduction in student
income and
therefore a reduced ability to provide excellent teaching. It is therefore
clear that the
release of this information would not be in the public interest.
It is therefore the opinion of Professor Simone Buitendijk that the public
interest is
overwhelmingly in favour of withholding the information.
We hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions about this
email,
however, please do not hesitate to contact us on [University of Leeds request email]
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Sincerely
Freedom of Information Officer
University of Leeds

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From: Kaylena Martina <[FOI #817102 email]>
Sent: 17 December 2021 08:06
To: Freedom of Information <[University of Leeds request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - A100 International Medicine
Admissions Statistics
 
Dear University of Leeds,

I am kindly writing to request information regarding A100 international
student statistics.

I'd like to know for the 2020 and 2021 entry years:
1) How many international students were interviewed
2) How many international students were given offers
3) How many international students accepted their offers

I'd like to know for the 2018, 2020, and 2021 entry years:
1) The pre-interview score cutoff  (out of 40) using the mechanism: 27pts
for 8 GCSE's (3pts=A*/9/8 2pts=A/7 1pt=B/6/5), 8pts for A-levels (8pts=AAA
preds/achieved), 5pts BMAT (top 20%=5 pts, 20-40%=4pts, 40-60%=3pts,
60-80%=2pts, bottom 20%=1pt)

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,
Kaylena Martina

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #817102 email]

Is [University of Leeds request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests
to University of Leeds? If so, please contact us using this form:
[1]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[2]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:
[3]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

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