A move to a system in which students apply to university once they have their A-level grades, or equivalent, is thought to be long overdue in most education circles.
In 2004, a government-commissioned report by Prof Steven Schwartz, then vice-chancellor of Brunel University, recommended it. But the Labour government was forced to retreat after a considerable backlash from universities and teaching unions, who claimed it would cause too much disruption to the academic year.