Unconvinced by the ability of A Levels to distinguish strong and weak candidates, leading universities have unveiled a new admissions aptitude test in a bid to find the best students.

The test, devised by an exam board, has been designed for medical and veterinary students but will be adapted for other subjects in future years.

Forum Response: Association of Teachers and Lecturers

Gwen Evans, joint acting general secretary for ATL, told ePolitix.com: "If one test does not differentiate between students, the current answer seems to be to find another one. But if America's experience is anything to go by, it will only be a year or two before schools find a way of coaching to the new test too.

"In an ideal world, academics in higher education would have time to meet would-be students, interview them and decide on the basis of more than just test results. The chance of that happening is realistically close to zero so students still face an exam-crammed future."