Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Parents offering incentives for top grades
The report found that 47 per cent of students were offered an incentive to succeed in their exams ahead of starting uni. The most popular incentive was financial, (66 per cent), with the average amount for achieving A*-B grades across the board being £757[1].
This was closely followed by computers (55 per cent were offered a laptop or tablet), holidays (31 per cent) and meals out (28 per cent). Over a quarter (27 per cent) were offered a mobile phone and 13 per cent were promised a new car.
The research also found male students were promised three times more money for the top grades than their female counterparts (see table in notes).
- Male students were offered up to £916 for an A* result, while females were offered just £305 for the same grade.
- 51 per cent of males were offered an incentive, compared to just 43.8 per cent of females
The financial rewards on offer have increased since last year when the average reward for an A* for males was £448, compared to £259 for females.
The results showed students in Scotland and the South West were more likely to be offered financial incentives: students in Scotland (81 per cent) and the South West (82 per cent), with just 54 per cent of students in the East Midlands and the north west (53 per cent) offered financial incentives.
Professor of Psychology from the School of Sciences at Leeds Beckett University, Gijsbert Stoet, said: “The results from the poll are not surprising. We know boys are less likely to do well in GCSEs and A levels, and are less likely to go to university. This means parents are coming up with bigger or more valuable incentives to encourage them to succeed.”
[1] This is the average amount of all the lump sums offered to students nationally, regardless of individual grades.