Cemlyn Davies said he was upset by the university's stance

The University of Nottingham told Cemlyn Davies, from Aberystwyth, mid Wales, that any grade he achieved in his Welsh A-Level could not be used in meeting its offer of two As and a B.

The 17-year-old fluent Welsh speaker, who wants to study French with Politics, said he was upset his work on the language and literature course would count for nothing.

Simon Thomas, Plaid Cymru MP for Ceredigion, said the university needed to be made aware of the Welsh Language Act, which gives the two languages equal status in every respect.

Cemlyn, who is now hoping to go to Cardiff University instead, explained that the offer he received from the University of Nottingham excluded Welsh.

"It said any tariff points I accumulated would have to be from the other three subjects I am studying at A-level - geography, English language and French," he said.

We cannot have the speakers of Welsh being discriminated against for taking A-levels in Welsh Simon Thomas MP

"It upsets me I won't get any recognition for the work I put it and the Welsh language is not given the status it deserves."

In an e-mail from the University of Nottingham, Cemlyn was told that the institution looked on the English language "in an entirely different manner to other language subjects".

His father Jeremy Davies said he was "appalled".

"It shows a profound level of ignorance about the language and its role in Wales," he said.

"The idea that studying a Welsh A-level in Wales is someway different or inferior to an English A-level in English is appaling.

The head teacher of Cemlyn's school, Ysgol Penweddig in Aberystwyth, is now writing to the Vice Chancellor of the University on the issue, as is local MP Simon Thomas.

Mr Thomas said it was vital to "make it very clear an A-level in Welsh is the same as an A-level in English".

The University of Nottingham said there was no suggestion it had anything against Welsh

He added that he had heard other universities may also have operating a similar policy and said the matter could be referred to the Commission for Racial Equality.

"We cannot have the speakers of Welsh being discriminated against for taking A-levels in Welsh," he said.

"If they are asking for a qualification in English, they should be prepared to accept a similar qualification in Welsh.

"Otherwise, the university is saying the Welsh language is inferior to the English langauge."

In a statement, Nottingham University said it would be reviewing the situation on Monday.

But it said there was no suggestion it had anything against Welsh, but that it was a case of which A-Levels were acceptable for the course.