Academic bias in skills studies

There is an overwhelming temptation to judge the ability of all young people on the basis of "academic" skills. Your report in News in Brief (THES, February 10) reports that "vocational students were academically not as good as their A-level counterparts". The question is rarely reversed to investigate how well-qualified A-level students are compared to those enrolled on GNVQ programmes and other provision relating to the "world of work". It appears that not only are we not comparing like with like - but we continue to bias the questions we ask in order not to challenge existing assumptions.

Dave Muller

Vice Principal, Suffolk College