The C-grade students training to be doctors

Students who have achieved no higher than a C grade at A-level are being trained as doctors.

King's College, London. has accepted more than 200 students from inner-city schools with three Cs instead of the usual two As and a B.

The Extended Medical Degree Programme was launched in 2001 to give those from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to train as doctors.

To qualify, students must come from one of 100 state schools in the 15 most educationally deprived boroughs in inner London and pass a mental agility test along with a 30-minute interview.

The course is based on the standard medical degree but takes six years to complete instead of the usual five. The extra year allows the students to study at a slower pace and undertake remedial work.

The British Medical Journal reported that the first intake of students have performed well with 12 per cent getting a first, 76 per cent an upper second and 12 per cent a lower second. The figures for those on the conventional five-year course were 28 per cent, 65 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.

However, the BMJ's Hugh Ip and psychologist Professor Chris McManus have questioned the value of the scheme which costs an extra £190,000 a year. They write: "Is it worth our while to widen participation, particularly if this risks reducing standards?"